Martin Brundle’s Championship-winning BMW 323i came back to life at 82MM

The BMW County Championship ran principally as a charity event, where the victorious county would receive a £5,000 donation to help its underprivileged children. Running as a support race for British Formula 1 and touring cars in 1979 and 1980, the grid consisted of 12 identical 323is each prepared by Tom Walkinshaw Racing and representing a respective county. Drivers were invited to compete by BMW, so the likes of Tiff Needell, Derek Bell, Nigel Mansell and Win Percy himself all found themselves behind the wheel, ready to battle for county pride.

In 1980, a 21-year-old Martin Brundle was in the midst of his fourth season in the British Saloon Car Championship when he shared the ‘Norfolk’ car with Patrick Neve. The previous year the chassis had sported a red livery, representing Berkshire – the Alpine White colour arrived with the new county, fit for the King’s Lynn native.

While Brundle’s motorsport career would go from strength to strength, the 323i’s track days came to an end when the car was reconfigured to road-going specifications in 1982 and was henceforth confined to the garage.

That was until Darren Fielding snatched it up when it went on auction seven months ago, and we spoke with him just after qualifying for the Win Percy Trophy on Saturday afternoon to learn more about the journey this significant BMW has been through.

“We’ve just taken it back out of that garage and restored it,” Fielding explained. “Things have been changed, obviously some of the components need changing because of age, but a lot of the car is original. It makes it even more special.”

Glass fibre panels from its racing days remained with the car, detailed with the drivers’ names and the race number, 4. It also retained its “cracking” six-cylinder 2.3-litre engine – “lots of torque, nice and drivable, very useful unit,” as Fielding described it.

The engine was rebuilt by Butler Motorsport, while the 323i’s restoration was undertaken by Amspeed, who have no shortage of experience when it comes to working on BMWs. “We think all BMWs are good racing cars,” said Fielding, who also has an E30. “We're big into BMWs here at Amspeed. The thing we like about [them] is the rear-wheel-drive, and I'm a rear-wheel-drive-person, so great traction, great balance, a fantastic racing car.”

Fielding was “ecstatic” to get his hands on a car with such rare history: “They only made 12 of these, so for one to be surviving and for it to be the Championship-winning car is quite spectacular.” It was with such enthusiasm that the restoration work began, the aim being to return the 323i to the track at Members’ Meeting just six months later.

The team “rushed like mad to get the invitation” and their hard work paid off. In a series of firsts, the new Win Percy Trophy provided the scene for the 323i’s first race in 45 years, its transformation from garage relic to a track titan once more, complete.

And what could be more apt, than for Fielding’s first partner behind the wheel to be Martin Brundle’s son, Alex. “I contacted Alex and told him I bought his dad's car,” said Fielding on how Alex came to be involved. “Of course, he's all over it now and he's thoroughly enjoying it. It’s quite special actually.”

As fitting as it is for Alex to be driving the BMW, the younger Brundle’s familiarity with the Goodwood Motor Circuit is an even more valuable strength he brings to the partnership. While Fielding describes Alex as “quite a pro,” Members’ Meeting marked the first time he had ever driven here.

“I think the most challenging thing is the circuit. Very fast, a lot of high speed corners, not a lot of run-off area. We’re on Dunlop Historic tyres, so the grip's not fantastic. It's very, very challenging – most challenging circuit I've ever raced on, actually.”

Fielding’s first effort was far from shabby. The pair qualified in sixth in a star-studded grid, and as per his judgement – “the BMWs are quite a consistent car” – they finished seventh in a race which saw eight cars fail to finish.

The lone BMW in the Win Percy Trophy shone a light on a unique event in British motorsport history at 82MM, though the significance of its restoration was more personal for Fielding.

“I just love my historic racing and Goodwood is the pinnacle of historic racing, so to get the invitation, for me it’s an absolute dream come true.”

Photography by Joe Harding, Toby Whales, Pete Summers and Charlie Brenninkmeijer.