The 25th edition of the 1000 Millas Sport was held November 14-16, 2013, starting and finishing in Bariloche, Argentina. South America’s foremost classic car rally consisted of more than 130 historic sports cars — spanning eight decades of automotive history — that challenged over 1000 miles of some of the most stunning roads in the world.
To celebrate the 25th running of Argentina’s version of the Mille Miglia Storica, BMW Group Classic sent a trio of cars embodying the sporting spirit of the BMW brand on a variety of levels. The BMW 328 Kamm racing saloon, for example, represents the first major racing success achieved by a BMW car over 70 years ago. It was joined on the journey through Patagonia by a BMW 2000 CS and BMW 3.0 CS, which heralded the dawn of a new coupe era for the brand and laid the foundations for BMW’s success in international touring car racing through the 1970s.
The 1000 Millas Sport is a competition for historic vehicles hosted by the Club de Automoviles Sport (CAS) in Argentina and approved by the FIVA. The 25th anniversary edition of the rally — which is run as a regularity time trial — brought together participants from 14 nations. The entry list of sports cars built between 1918 and 1983 was split into seven categories to take into account their varying ages. In a year where they won almost all the rallies in which they participated, the winning team at the 2013 rally was the Riley Sprite of Juan Tonconogy and Guillermo Berisso from Argentina. (The duo also won the Italy’s Mille Miglia in May).
The rich variety of cars in the field is one of the great attractions of the 1000 Millas Sport. Another was the route for the event, which allowed drivers to soak up the unique charms of the Patagonian landscape along the way. Starting from San Carlos de Bariloche, the competitors set out along a different route on each of the rally’s three days. The first stage along Lake Nahuel Huapi and over the border into Chile was followed by a stretch running parallel to the Andes on Ruta 40 up to the northern village of Junin de los Andes and back. The final stage took the cars south and included a detour to a race circuit. Each of the three stages offered magnificent views over the mountain peaks of the southern Andes and their unspoilt valleys. The spring weather and wonderfully prepared roads provided ideal conditions for the classic racing cars.
BMW Group Classic brought one of the most spectacular cars in its collection to the 1000 Millas Sport. The BMW 328 Kamm racing saloon is a faithful replica of the racing car built in 1939 using the latest aerodynamics and lightweight design expertise — and which competed in the Mille Miglia a year later. Developed in close cooperation with streamlined design pioneer Wunibald Kamm, the sports car boasted a still impressive Cd of 0.25. Its spaceframe (weighing just 30 kg) and aluminium bodywork gave the BMW a curb weight of 760 kg, and the 136 hp six-cylinder in-line engine powered it to a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph). Accident damage meant the original car was consigned to the scrap heap in the early 1950s, but in 2010 BMW unveiled this replica version, which traces the original design drawings in full. It has been a regular attraction at international classic car exhibitions and competitions ever since.
BMW Classic at 1000 Millas Sport Argentina 2013 – Photo Gallery
[Source: BMW AG]
recently on I-95 in Maine(?) I saw a car that I thought was an early SAAB….it was a hard top 2-seater……the back had the BMW badge and said “1000”.
Can anybody steer me to pictures of it?