BMW Super Compacta

One of the most interesting Brazilian prototypes of the 1990s, but about which little material is available, is the BMW Super Compact designed by Adilson “Asa” Ayres for Nelson Piquet to compete in endurance races.

The car’s base is a Formula 3 monocoque fitted with a BMW M44 1.9 engine and a Hewland FT200 transmission, as well as Formula 3 brakes, wheels, tires, and suspension (a typical mechanical setup for Brazilian prototypes from the turn of the millennium).

The bodywork was designed using a mold based on the BMW 318i Compact (hence the car’s name), utilizing ground effect. In this configuration, the prototype debuted at the 6 Hours of Ceará in 1997 with Piquet and Ruyter Pacheco at the wheel, achieving pole position and overall victory after 237 laps.

In 1998, the prototype was remodeled as a spyder, reminiscent of the famous BMW 2002 “Flying Coffin” because the ventilation of the closed fairing was insufficient in long races held in intense heat, such as the Fortaleza race. In addition to removing the roof, the new fairing included a split central wing in the style of the Chaparral 2H (1) from the 60s, Formula-style central roll cage (2) and a pair of NACA ducts for cooling the front brakes (3).

In the image below we can see more details of the curious configuration of the split central spoiler.

Furthermore, one of the few available images of the chassis dates from this period, where we can see the aluminum monocoque (4) with the tunnels under the floor (5) and the side supports used for mounting the body and auxiliary elements (6). It is also interesting to note the 4×1 style exhaust manifold with an outlet to the expansion zone of the rear diffuser (7) – it is not clear whether this positioning was intended to help energize the airflow or if it was simply the most convenient positioning.

In this configuration, the prototype returned for the second edition of the 6 Hours of Ceará, but we were unable to find a record of the results of that race.

In 1999, the prototype was entered in the 1,000 Kilometers of Brasília, again securing pole position, but ultimately retiring from the race, which was won by the AS Vectra driven by Tom Stefani, Délcio Evaristo, and Luiz André Reis.

The car’s development continued in 2000, with some notable aerodynamic evolutions: the central wing was replaced by a much more “conventional” one positioned at the rear (8) and two canards (9) were added to increase downforce at the front.

In this configuration, the quartet of Piquet, Antonio Pizzonia, Arialdo Pinho, and Ernani Júdice once again secured pole position for the 6 Hours of Ceará with a time of 1m13s867, but retired after only 38 laps. As a consolation prize, they recorded the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1m14s806.

Later that same year, Nelson would win the 1,000 Kilometers of Brasília in partnership with Rodrigo Piquet.

For 2001, Piquet’s prototype underwent a profound mechanical and aerodynamic upgrade, led by Amir Nasr’s team. The rear suspension, responsible for retirements in the 6 Hours of Ceará in 2000, was redesigned, the front radiator was replaced by two units, one on each side of the cockpit, and the floor became flat, eliminating ground effect. To accommodate all these changes, the bodywork ceased to be a silhouette inspired by the 318i and adopted a shape in the style of Le Mans prototypes. In this configuration, some sources began to refer to the prototype as the BMW Speeder 2. With all these updates, the car was entered in the Mil Milhas Brasileiras, with Nelson Piquet, Rodrigo Piquet, and Mário Haberfeld taking turns driving. The trio achieved third place overall (and second in class 3) in qualifying with a time of 1m40s621, but a gearbox failure led to their retirement from the race after only 75 laps.

The Speeder’s last appearance on the track would take place in April of the same year, in the 1,000 Kilometers of Brasília, where Rodrigo and Nelson Piquet once again teamed up, setting pole position with a time of 1m59s585. Unfortunately, the final result was another retirement after 95 laps, setting the fastest lap of the race at 2m04s478.

Sources:

Autódromo Internacional Virgílio Távora. Available at: https://www.esporte.ce.gov.br/autodromo/

Piquet têm presença confirmada no grid da 29ª Mil Milhas Brasileira. Available at: http://www.speedonline.com.br/public_html/montatela.php?t=news&sql_query=2102.

Carro de Piquet terá muito mais do que nova carenagem. Available at: http://www.speedonline.com.br/public_html/montatela.php?t=news&sql_query=2106.

Confira o grid completo da corrida. Available at: http://www.speedonline.com.br/public_html/montatela.php?t=news&sql_query=2138.

Confira o resultado final da disputa. Available at: http://www.speedonline.com.br/public_html/montatela.php?t=news&sql_query=2167.

1000 KM: Nelson Piquet larga na pole em Brasília. Available at: http://www.speedonline.com.br/public_html/montatela.php?t=news&sql_query=14.

1000 KM: Flávio/Felipe/Ruyter vencem depois de sete horas de corrida. Available at: http://www.speedonline.com.br/public_html/montatela.php?t=news&sql_query=39.

1000 km de Brasília Edições Anteriores Fatos e Imagens. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20050317213856/http://1000km.racecontrol.com.br/page16.html.

Nelson Piquet All Cars. Available at: https://www.geocities.ws/pirosqueta/index13.html.

Piquet nas Mil Milhas de Interlagos. Available at: https://blogdamilmilhas.blogspot.com/2011/03/piquet-nas-mil-milhas-de-interlagos.html.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my great friend Rodrigo Carelli for providing images from his archive that helped illustrate this article.