Gruppe5 2002 Is a Race-ready, Street-legal BMW Monster
Gruppe5’s restomod transforms a BMW 2002 into a snarling V10-powered, road-legal race car making 803 horsepower.
Indiana based Gruppe5 Motorsport has a plan for anyone with the cash and a numbers matching 2002 from between 1968 and 1975 that wants a track and road weapon. The company, run by former SCAA and 2002ti racer Tom Zajac, has drawn up 2 versions of the Gruppe5 2002. They are based on variations of the E60 M5’s 5.0-liter V10 to be built by Steve Dinan. As in the Steve Dinan, the man who’s company CarBahn Autoworks builds race engines for BMW Motorsport. One version of the V10 will be bored out to 5.8-liters to make 744 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque on race gas, while the other goes to 5.9 liters to produce 803 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque on race gas. The engines also feature Motec’s engine management, dry sump lubrication by Daley Engineering, and Inconel custom headers and exhaust.
The engine is just part of the story though. Riley Technologies is handling the chassis and mechanicals, but the only part of the original chassis that will be used is the tub after it has been acid dipped and electrocoated. The rest is replaced with an alloy frame and safety cage supporting carbon fiber body panels and polycarbonate windows. The overall length and wheelbase of the donor car stay the same, but the roof drops 3 inches, the width increases by 4.4 inches, and the car rides on adjustable pushrod suspension. Gruppe5 also claim the aero package adds a maximum of 2,400 pounds of downforce.
The engines deliver their power through straight-cut gears in an Xtrac six-speed transaxle transmission via a carbon fiber driveshaft. That power makes it to the rear wheels only, and those are 19-inch three piece BBS center locking wheels shod with either Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 or Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires. Inside, there are more familiar names in the form of Recaro Pole Position seats, a Motec C187 driver display, and a custom 300-mm Nardi steering wheel with paddle shifters on the column behind.
There’s just a couple of things to bear in mind here. First, is that the engines are true race level units and will need to be pulled apart and rebuilt after every 60 hours they are run. Second, is that Gruppe5 will be requiring a supply a triple-numbers-matching 2002 for the donor car. The first one is understandable, but the 2nd is strange as it’s only the original monocoque that will be used to build the Riley chassis.
Images by: Gruppe5
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