1982 Deitel 345i

[Apexxx]

I have read articals about this car in the past I guess it went to Barrett-Jackson
1982 345i
Some nice big pics

[blitzed310]

Yup, it sold around 20k.

[zak78]

It pleases me that any e21 street car sells for that much money. I think the bodywork looks odd...in that the widebody is built around the fugly US bumpers, and doesn't extend below the rear bumper. Then again, it's a product of the 80s and was created by the same guy who put a Countach boomerang wing on an M1.

<img src="http://www.bimmerwerkz.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=21634&stc=1">

[MattE21]

jbob and i stood out in the pouring rain to see her after she sold. now that i think about it, he took a ton of pics of it. I wonder if he still has them.

[zak78]

Did she look low-slung in real life? She looks kinda high in the pics.

<img src="http://www.bimmerwerkz.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=21634&stc=1">

[jbob]

it wasn't that low...probably because if it went any lower the exhaust would scrape or worse. they routed a true dual exhaust under the rear subframe.

the 16" BBS wheels were pretty sweet....wearing 225's & 245's.

i have pics on my old computer, i'll try & dig 'em up & post up.

[Apexxx]

Here is an article I found on the 345i with road test and specs
Enjoy

BMW 323IS/345IS Turbo Alpina:
As Seen in August 1984 Sport Car Magazine
Original Article

Blitzkrieg! Alpina’s Street-Storming 3.2-Liter Intercooled Turbo 345i Blitzkrieg!
And now for something completely different; Mike Dietel’s throbbing BMW 345i
By John Hanson
SCC Road Test
Everyone had seen the stealth blue 345i parked regally in the pits-its open hood a subtle invitation to come take a look. But as yet
no one had seen it in motion. As we pulled the car out of the staging area adjacent to the pit garages, a trio of sunglassed cocoa-buttered spotters slowly rose from their sand chairs, hoisting diet colas as if to signify the importance of the occasion. Cautiously accelerating out of the staging area, we blended into the back of the pack of screaming baby Bimmers steaming through Riverside Raceway’s wide-open-throttle Turn One. Through the chicane of esses leading up the hill to the hard right sweeper at Turn Five, we fell back, but did not go unnoticed. Drifting into, and powering through the final blind bent at six we fount the four-car pack bunched up like ducklings on the far side of the track, the driver of the rear car waving us through. We were in third gear, up on the cars at about 4000 rpm and the turbo was already well into boost. Standing on the throttle, we gathered all four cars in a sudden
rash, cresting the modest rise and diving deep into the off-camber, hard-left seven. Scrambling over the crest of the hill at six, the half-dozen photographers who had followed our progress through the esses hustled into position on the backside of the embankment to grab a shot of the car drifting on all fours through seven. Out of seven and onto the flat-out, downhill back-straight, we acknowledged the thumbs-up grins and faintly muffled “Yee-Haa” of the spotters at the back-straight overpass. Angling to the left, setting up for the wide-banked sweeper at Turn Nine at 120 miles per hour, it was obvious that all 200 or so people in the pit area had summarily dropped whatever they were doing and bolted for the guardrails. Braking hard and downshifting into Turn Nine, the tail broke loose again, but was quickly righted by the instantaneous rush of hard-throttle, turbo-boosted power. Swinging high through nine, then dropping down low as we entered the long front-straight, there was nothing in sight but the clear track lined with screaming BMW crazies. Having dialed-in the car’s handling characteristics on the war-up lap, while subtly announcing our track presence, it was hot lap time. The M1’s and 635’s had pulled off. The flock of baby Bimmers were pitted, their drivers queuing for the best vantage point. This was, after all, a BMW event-one of three, two-day driving school/weenie roast get-togethers held each year by the West Coast-based BMW Automobile Club (“That’s BMWAC with an A,” we were reminded). But it was also the debut of the latest automotive aberration from the Fantasyland studios of Mike Dietel – a street-legal300-plus horsepower, turbocharged/intercooled 7-series Motronic power plant stuffed between the frame rails of a bulbous-bodies,
Euro spec 323. Dietel is the owner/operator of Dietel Enterprises, a Laguna Hills, California, company that specializes in the importation, federalization and Alpinization of nonconforming, not-available-in-the-U.S. BMW automobilia. Beyond that, Dietel admits to having a twisted soft spot in his hear for 3-series muscle cars. Having learned a thing or two from his previous 330 and 333 projects-normally aspirated cars that looked showroom stock but went like stink-Dietel figured it was time to get ridiculous.
His plan was to somehow install BMW’s top-of-the-line 3.2-liter (195.8ci) six-cylinder Motronic engine into a 323 chassis. Normally found under the hood of gray market 745i’s, the engine is L-Jetronic fuel-injected, turbocharged and intercooled. It develops 252 horsepower at 5200 rpm right out of the crate, running at a peak of 7.5 pounds of boost. Figuring that if half a bar of boost was nice, a full bar would be twice as nice (one bar is equal to one atmosphere of pressure, or 14.7 psi). Dietel installed an Alpine/KKK variable boost wastegate. This single alteration to the otherwise stock motor increased boost capabilities to just under 15 psi and bumped the output to approximately 320 horsepower in street-legal dress (which, in this case, included a Lambada oxygen sensor and a three-way catalytic converter). Mated to an Alpina close ratio five-speed gearbox, the engine
installation proved to be a study in alternate routes. The 323 electricals were removed and replaced with the Motronic engine’s
wiring harness assembly. The computerized Motronic controls (which handle basic timing, fuel metering and ignition duties) were grafted to the 3-series system and mounted into a custom-built air duct. This stabilized operating temperature deviations produced by the high output engine mounted in a shrink-to-fit compartment (needless to say, heat shielding was used extensively). Although the stock exhaust manifold was used, custom dual exhaust tubing was fabricated to run all the way back to the oversized muffler cans scavenged from a BMW 3.0S. The intercooler was relocated into the passenger-side vent of the front airdam and a Wilquip oil cooler positioned into the driver-side vent. The radiator is a redesigned, high-capacity Alpina model. Finally, as if the engine compartment wasn’t already cramped, Dietel found a way to install an air conditioning system (a feat that Alpine engineers insisted couldn’t be done). With the bulkhead area directly behind the front airdam jam-packed with braided steel plumbing and relocated hardware, the stock, front-mounted swaybar needed to be repositioned-which fit perfectly into Dietel’s front suspension plans. With considerably more weight, horse-power and chassis-twisting torque to contend with, Dietel wanted a heavy-duty, bully adjustable spare-no-expense underpinning. The front setup is a far-from-basic lower arm / strut / rod design, featuring a rear-mounted drop-ink / Heim joint swaybar, threaded chrome-moly front strut towers (for ride height adjust-ability), a chrome-moly front strut brace, gusseted reinforcement between the strut and brake caliper, a strengthened lower A-arm with adjustable inner pickup points at the lower subframe, Alpine variable rate springs and Alpine/Bilstein struts. The hubs are 635 five-lug units (front and rear). The front brakes are M1 discs mounted to Lockheed four-piston, magnesium-body calipers (similar to those found on the Lola T-600 and Porsche 935). The hydraulic/nitrogen brake booster system is a modified 635 design with manual brake biasing and an integrated reservoir of nitrogen for improved sensitivity, less pedal travel and improved braking force. The three-piece wheels are custom built by BBS (15x9 front, 15x11 rear) with three-inch outer shells and a deep center hat section to handle the oversized calipers and cope with the increased bearing load. The tires are Pirelli P7s, 225/50VR-15 in the front and 285/40VR-15 in the rear. The rear suspension is a modified, late-mode 6-series independent / trailing arm subframe with the largest third member
assembly available. The assembly is grafted to the two existing 323pickup points, with the third mount (at the member) fabricated into a notch in the trunk floor. The system features a 3.07:1 final drive gearing with a 75 percent limited-slip and integrated oil pump / oil cooler / oil filter. The rear brakes have Oldsmobile Toronado front rotors mated to BMW 323 ventilated front calipers.
Like the suspension system, the body and frame were heavily reworked to handle the substantial bump in torque, isolate flex and
establish a solid platform for the car’s high-speed capabilities. To strengthen and stiffen the body and help reduce flex, both sides of the car’s rear quarter were peeled back in order to integrate a triangulated network of chrome-moly tubing into the car’s backbone chassis. The front and rear airdams and wedged fender flare/kick panel treatment was a joint effort between Dietel and Wayne Hartman Fiberglass (and will soon be offered in Dietel’s parts catalog). The final Scotch welding, molding, finishing and paint treatment was handled by Saddleback BMW Autobody. Inside, the 345i boasts impeccably tailored tan pigskin upholstery by ASS of Germany, who also built the seats. The dashboard is scheduled for an extensive redo, with additional gauging, an onboard computer and top of the line Blaupunkt stereo system. Variable boost is controlled by a valve on the center console and an emergency battery shutoff switch is mounted prominently under the driver’s seat (the battery was remounted in the trunk due to
space limitations under the hood). Like all BMWs, the interior of the 345i is ergonomically correct, well-insulated and comfortable, with easy to read gauges and accessible controls. The big difference between this 3-series cockpit and any other – especially after a few hard driving hours – is that it offers a safe and secure suede sanctuary from the rest of the car’s unadulterated craziness. And make no mistake, this care is automotive craziness. Listing the minutia of fabrications, relocations, gusseting, swapping and cussing it took Dietel and Chief Engineer Tom Coleman to complete this two-year $65,000 project would be impossible. Although the 345 is endowed with the kind of race-ready good looks necessary to stop traffic at any L.A. intersection, it’s a car that must be driven to be fully appreciated. With a muscular power to weight ration of 9.6:1, the heavy-breathing Motronic engine propelled the 345i’s 2980 pounds through the standing quarter-mile traps in 13.75 seconds at 99 miles per hour, sprinting 0 to 60 in 5.5 seconds and 0 to 100 in a scant 14 ticks. Of course, the NHRA Pro-Gas bracket was not what Dietel had in mind when he created his hell-bent-for-Bavaria Bimmer (although maybe he should reconsider). Instead, the 345 is most impressive out where it belongs, hustling around a long-legged road course like Riverside Raceway with 200 fanatics waiting
impatiently to be beamed aboard for a fast-lap thrill ride. The 345’s debut at Riverside was important in that it offered Dietel’s engineers their first opportunity to fine-tune the car’s suspension to road course demands – illustrating again the degree of race emphasis Dietel designed into his Sport GT/Racer. Adding a little oversteer, backing off on the rear brake biasing or adding a
touch of camber or caster to the vehicle’s suspension geometry with little more than the turn of a wrench, the 345 proved supremely programmable to the individuality of driver and environment. With a calculated top speed of 150 miles per hour (Riverside’s straights simply weren’t long enough to test the car’s top speed capabilities) and full race suspension to match, the 345 is a legitimate Sunday road racer. With its 18 miles per gallon economy, hedonistic creature comfort, street worthy compliance and excellent around town manners, it is a bonafide, Monday through Friday family sedan. In short, the consummate enthusiast sports car. Mike Dietel got into the enthusiast market out of self defense about ten years ago. Actually, he got tired of fellow BMW owners chasing him down and demanding to know what had been done to whichever heavily modified Bimmer he happened to be driving at the time. He builds cars like the 345 for the sheer fun of it, with an enthusiastic “Yeah,-but-what-if-we-tried-this?” attitude. With the 345i project, Dietel has outdone himself by answering the proverbial automotive question, “Does anyone really need this much car?”
Yes. Next question.
SCG

BMW 345i
General:
Vehicle Manufacturer
BMW / Dietel Enterprises
Vehicle type
Front-engine, rear-drive, 4-passenger sedan
Price as tested
$64,000 (est.)
Options as tested
None


Engine:
Type
Inline 6-cylinder
Displacement (ci/cc)
3210/1958
Compression ratio
7.5:1
Induction
L-Jetronic fuel injection
Valve gear
Singe overhead cam
Max. horsepower (SAE net)
310 hp @ 6000 rpm
Maximum torque (SAE net)
367 lbs/f ft @ 2600-4000 rpm
Redline
6350 rpm
Emission control
Lambda sensor / 3-way catalytic converter
Fuel requirement
Unleaded premium
Drivetrain:
Transmission
Alpine close-ration 5-speed
Transmission ratios
1st 3.42:1
2nd 2.07:1
3rd 1.47:1
4th 1.1.6:1
5th 1.00:1
Axle ratio 3.07:1
Dimensions and Capacities:
Wheelbase (in) 100
Length (in) 171
Width (in) 68
Height (in) 52.5
Track, F/R (in) 55/56.5
Minimum ground clearance (in) 4.6
Curb weight (lb) 2980
Weight distribution, F/R (%) 57/43
Oil capacity (qt) 6
Water capacity (qt) 11
Fuel capacity (gal) 13
Body and Frame:
Chassis Unibody
Body Welded steel
Suspension:
Front Independent, lower arms, strut/rod adjustable swaybar
Rear Independent (6-series), trailing arms, gas shocks, adjustable swaybar
Steering:
Type Power-assisted rack and pinion
Overall ratio 21.2:1
Turns, lock-to-lock 3.5
Turning radius (ft) 15.6
Brakes:
Front 11.8-inch power-assisted vented disc
Rear 10.5-inch power-assisted vented disc
Swept area (sq in) 473.88
Swept area per ton (sq in) 318.04
Wheels and Tires:
Wheel type 3-piece alloy
Wheel size (in) 15x9 front; 15x11 rear
Tire manufacturer & model Pirelli P7
Tire construction & size Steel-belted radial, 225/50VR-15 front; 285/40VR-15 rear
Test Results:
Acceleration
0-30 (sec) 1.95
0-40 (sec) 3.00
0-50 (sec) 4.42
0-60 (sec) 5.50
0-70 (sec) 8.00
0-80 (sec) 10.02
Standing ¼-mile 13.75 sec @ 99.5 mph

Skidpad:
Lateral acceleration (g) 0.85
Stopping Distances:
30-0 (ft/sec) 34/1.43
60-0 (ft/sec) 141/3.30
Fuel Economy:
EPA estimate (mpg) N/A
Actual (mpg) 18 combined
Speedometer Calibration:
Indicated N/A
Actual N/A

[Taiko]

What engine does that have? Is it an S54? IF there was ever a car that needed euro style bumpers, that's it.

[zak78]

[QUOTE=Taiko]What engine does that have? Is it an S54?

Oh my. No. it's the old-skool m102, or a low-comp. m30 with a turbo, as fitted to e23 745i. There are pics of it on the page in the link...

But I do totally agree with what you said about the bumpers.

Another thing: That's the single heaviest e21 I've ever heard of And it oughta do 160, dammit. On the other hand, if I ran across it on the street I'd stare at it for hours, and use up my digicam batteries at least 5x over.

<img src="http://www.bimmerwerkz.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=21634&stc=1">

[Taiko]

Lmao, I just read my post when I came back. Dunno why I said the S54, I must have M cars on the brain. What I really meant to say was an S14, but it's not important, it was incorrect anyway.

[DS2]

Turns out I work w/ Mike Jr. He just sent an email showing this ebay auction for his Dad's last mod:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Custo...ht_5101wt_1165

[pommeree]

Item location: Not that far from paradise.
Description: Rides like the wind.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMkIuKXwmlU[/ame]

[tomscat1]

Day um. That is a beautiful car.

[fullswing]

don't forget the white Char-BelMW E21 345i.

[RonP]

I spent quite a bit of time at Mike's shop during the build of this car and it was pretty exciting. I have followed this car for quite a while. In the mid 80s the car was sold to a drug dealer that beat the crap out of it. It was then rescued by a guy in Mammoth, Ca. He didn't do much to the car. I tried to buy it from him, but he wanted $15k for it and I thought it was only worth $13k. It was then sold to some guys in Idaho where they restored it to it's former glory and presented it at the 2004 Oktoberfest and brought Mike in from Nevada to pay tribute to him.

It sold at BJ for $27,500 two cars before mine did at $31,500. Those figures were before buyer's premium on the Dietel car and after on my car.

http://www.firstfives.org/carmonth/jul2008.html

I have spoken to Peter several times, as I had a potential buyer for the car, but we were a few thou from making it happen. Very interesting car and one that I have lusted after for years. Gotta be a rocket!

[tomscat1]

FWIW, I came across this tonight:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...www.google.com

[RonP]

FWIW, I came across this tonight:

Well, I wasn't too far off. My best recollection was only a few hundred off. The sale price listed included the buyer's premium.

[tomscat1]

Your recollection was pretty good, Ron. I didn't post that to second guess you at all... I was just very surprised to come across that link, and I wanted to post it to validate the fact that it was on the Barrett-Jackson site. It is a beauty.

On a different topic, I wonder if you have any recollection of this car:
70471 323i ("Dietel")



It is reputed to be a Dietel.... but I have come across some info that questions that. Do you have any recollection of this car at Dietel's shop back in the day?

My Baur, #4154 1982 323i Lapisblau, also has a Dietel Enterprises label under the hood.... I believe Dietel imported it and federalized it. I don't know that anything else was done to it, however, since it appears to be pretty stock.
I have a pic of it at the beginning of my blog:
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/

Any thoughts?

[RonP]

Tom,

I sometimes hate the internet as conveyance doesn't always come through. No worries, I was trying to remember what the car actually sold for. A buddy of mine called me to tell me it was coming up and I watched it go across the block.

I don't know about the Baur cab being one of Mike's cars that he federalized. I was over there quite a bit and was good friends with Mike. He only did a few e21s from Germany, but did quite a few of his own renditions of euro cars on US spec cars.

[erok320i]

"6 series rear subframe"......that's interesting. Wonder how hard that is.

[Yahweh]

Cool, its 5 lug.

[vev]

Once again I find it necessary to clarify Tom's post about my widebody. When the car came into my family, we were told it was a Dietel conversion. After I finally tracked Mike Dietel down, he said it looked like his kit except for the rear wing. He also said he did not recall converting a Baur. As soon as I learned the information, I posted the information to ensure my error was not perpetuated. I presume that my post was the information Tom came across or it was information that grew out of my post. I still own the car and plan to restore it. It takes a back seat to my home renovation and restoration of a widebody Porsche.

[tomscat1]

Once again I find it necessary to clarify Tom's post about my widebody. When the car came into my family, we were told it was a Dietel conversion. After I finally tracked Mike Dietel down, he said it looked like his kit except for the rear wing. He also said he did not recall converting a Baur. As soon as I learned the information, I posted the information to ensure my error was not perpetuated. I presume that my post was the information Tom came across or it was information that grew out of my post. I still own the car and plan to restore it. It takes a back seat to my home renovation and restoration of a widebody Porsche.

Hi vev,

I regret if my earlier post has caused any confusion about your car. It was not my intent to in any way cast any aspersions on you or your car. I apologize to you if that is the way it came across. You were absolutely forthright with me in every way in all the dealings we had when I purchased the1982 Baur last year.

I did come across your post in another site a week or two ago in which you stated your contact with Mike Dietel and that he didn't recollect converting a Baur. That post was about a year old. It was not clear to me from that post whether that was conclusive, however. You did withdraw the car from the market, as you stated, shortly after I bought the 1982 (late January 2010 or so). I thought you had changed your mind about selling it.

The reason I posted this here originally was ... first of all because it is a very interesting car... and because I was curious to know if it was really a Dietel. There was someone here who had spent time in Dietel's shop, and I thought I would run it by him.

I have read that Dietel may have licensed others to do conversions with his kit, or sold some kits to others. In a similar fashion, we have a car in here that appears to be a Baur, but his plate indicates that the conversion was done in Hempstead, New York by the American Sunroof Company.... it is identical to a Baur, and we think it was done under license from Baur. I am trying to track that down also.

Here is a link to the thread where you can see all of this..... not sure if you have seen it yet or not:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1566814

As you can see from the thread above and from my blog, this story is driven by my interest in Baurs, with particular attention to any unusual cars, of which yours is certainly one.
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/

I regret if my clumsy wording has caused you any discomfort over this, and I hope I have clarified it. You are a great guy and you were a straight shooter in all our dealings. I am in your debt for selling me the 1982 Baur. Please accept my apology.

I remain very interested in learning about your car... any info you can share about it would be greatly appreciated. For example, you mention in another thread a shop in Maryland that may have done work on it; does it have any Dietel identifying tags/plates; was any engine work done on it? My car has a sticker under the hood on the passenger fender stating the car was federalized by Dietel enterprises.

I hope your home renovations and the Porsche project go smoothly and swiftly for you, so that we may see that special Baur back on the road some day soon.

Thank you, again, vev, and best wishes to you.

[Tom D]

he might not have done any Baurs, but he sure did some fun E21s. i once went with my friend Jim Cook, out to Willow Springs Raceway. Dietel and his boys dragged out a 330 and 323 for the BMWACA event. Jim was a GTU driver in the IMSA series with a RX7, he was kind of the Guest Driver for the day. boy did we have fun.

unfortunately, Jim died of a heart attack while racing at Riverside 2-3 years later. god rest his soul.

[vev]

Thanks, Tomscat.

I wanted to make sure that it was clear that I did not intentionally misrepresent the pedigree of the car. I presumed it was a Dietel because that's what we were told, it looked like Dietel's widebody and it had much more power than the stock 323 (albeit not as much as the 345). Once I learned it might not be a Dietel, I immediately put the brakes on.

I am very interested in tracking down the pedigree of the car. Given that Mike Dietel does not recall working on a Baur and that the rear wing is definitely not Dietel's, I think it is safe to presume the car was not actually converted by Dietel's shop. In addition, the sticker on the car that I thought said "ASC" (American Sunroof Company based in CA), actually reads ASU. I did a number of hours tracking ASU down. It appears to have been a shop in Maryland that tuned BMWs. Couldn't find anything more than one of their adds and they are no longer in business.

Any information is very much appreciated.