The eight best BMW racing cars of all time

BMW 328 – 1936

The oldest car on our list, the BMW 328 was hugely fruitful in period, and is claimed by some to be the most successful sports racing car of the 1930s.

Weighing just 780kg and producing a modest 80PS from its 2.0-litre straight-six, 464 examples were produced from 1936 to 1940, the car making its race debut at the 1936 Nürburgring Eifelrennen race, where Ernst Henne drove it to win the 2.0-litre class. This was the first of many class wins, more than 100 of which came in 1937 alone, including the RAC Tourist Trophy, the Österreichische Alpenfahrt, and the La Turbie hillclimb. The following year, the 328 won its class at the RAC Tourist Trophy and the Alpine Rally, before winning the 1939 RAC Rally and arriving first in class and fifth overall in the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1948, despite the model being a decade old by then, Frank Pratt pushed a 328 to victory in the 1948 Australian Grand Prix.

But it was the Mille Miglia where the 328 really shone, taking a class win in 1938, followed by the overall win in 1940 with an average speed of 103.6 mph. And in 2004, the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupe made history one again, winning the modern revival of the historic race and becoming the first car to win both in period and present.

BMW 3.0-litre CSL Batmobile – 1973

To many, the ‘Batmobile’ evokes the blacked out 1955 Ford Lincoln Futura or the low, angular concept of the more recent superhero movie. But to BMW racing fans, it has an entirely different meaning. Perhaps one of the best-looking BMW racing cars (with the exception of the M1), the 3.0-litre CSL ‘Batmobile’ proved an unstoppable force in 1970s touring car racing.

Derived from the road-going E9, the 3.0 CSL Batmobile featured a spoiler under its angular ‘shark’ nose, strakes atop the bonnet and a sweeping rear wing, a body kit which reportedly added a huge 90kg of downforce at 124mph. Unsurprisingly when you look at it, the aero effects also drew comparisons to the DC comics car of the same name.

1,039 homologation models were produced between 1973 to 1975 in order to get the BMW competition cars certified, each powered by a straight-six, making 209PS (206bhp) and 286Nm (211lb ft).

Weight savings came thanks to a thinner gauge steel in the monocoque, plus an aluminium bonnet and boot (the latter reverted to steel upon addition of the rear wing). Luxuries such as the carpet, power-steering, electric windows and sound-deadening materials were removed, allowing the 1,270kg car to reach 0-60mph in 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 136mph.

While the homologation models themselves were impressively contested, the BMW competition cars, which made in excess of 300PS, saw brilliant success in touring races, particularly in the European Touring Car Championship and the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft. In 1973 and 1974, Batmobiles won the special tourism class at 24 Hours of Le Mans, before going on to win the European Touring Car Championships every year from 1973-1979, with the exception of 1974.

Across the pond, the 3.0 CSL was fielded in the 1975 IMSA GT Championship, with Sam Posey, Brian Redman, and Ronnie Peterson winning races during the season. Meanwhile, the Group 5 3.5 CSL won three races in the 1976 World Championship for Makes.

BMW M1 Procar – 1979

No ‘best Bimmers’ list would be complete without the M1 Procar. As iconic as it was short-lived, the model was derived from the M1 road car for the one-make namesake series. Built to meet Group 4 technical regulations, the M1 Procar featured a straight-six which could produce 477PS (470bhp) at 9,000rpm. Later versions, built to Group 5 specifications, were turbocharged, and made between 860PS and 1,000PS (848bhp or 986bhp).

Thanks to its aerodynamic wedge shape, designed by renowned vehicle designer Giorgio Giugiaro, the Group 4 Procar boasted 0-62 mph acceleration of just 4.3 seconds, and a top speed of 193mph. Other modifications included a deep nose spoiler, an adjustable rear wing, new suspension with adjustable anti-roll bars, a racing steering rack and redesigned brakes.

The series ran at most European F1 races, and featured an innovative line-up, with the drivers comprising the fastest F1 drivers from the practice of the respective Grand Prix, well-known and up-and-coming racers, and private drivers.

Unfortunately, the series sadly only lasted two years, with Niki Lauda taking the inaugural title in 1979, followed by Nelson Piquet in 1980.

After the series’ demise, BMW M1 Procars competed at various national championships until 1986, including the American IMSA GTO Championship, the German Automobile Racing Championship and at Le Mans.

BMW 2002 – 1968

Launched in 1968, the 2002 was BMW’s answer to its post-war woes. Originally conceived by Alex von Falkenhausen and BMW’s Planning Director Helmut Werner Bonsch, who independently carried out 2.0-litre conversions on 1600ti Neue Klasse saloons, the pair joined forces and pitched the idea to the BMW Board. And so a star was born…

There were three distinct iterations of the 2002 over its lifetime, with the first generation cars built between 1968 and 1971, the second generation, ‘model 71’, built between 1971 and 1973, and the third ‘model 73’ generation built between 1973 and the end of production in 1976.

It was in 1969 that the 2002 made its racing debut, with Group 5-spec turbocharged models entered into the European Touring Car Championship, where they saw some competition against the likes of Porsche’s 911, before Dieter Quester ultimately won Division 3 for BMW.

The 2002 also competed in the Trans Am Series sub-2.0-litre class, where it saw little success against the dominating Alfa Romeo, Porsche, and Datsun, taking just two race wins in 1970. However, that same year Hans Stuck and Clemens Schickentanz famously won the 1970 24 Hours Nürburgring in a 2002.

BMW 635 CSI – 1980

By the late ‘70s, touring cars had become so far removed from their road-going counterparts, that the ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ appeal was no longer washing with the public.
As a result, Federation International du Sport Automobile ruled that from 1982, to be eligible for the top level touring class, manufacturers had to produce at least 25,000 examples of a car, with annual production at least 5,000 units. 2,500 of these could be specialized racing versions, while 500 Evolution models could be built to further improve the racecar. Almost all parts had to be interchangeable between the road and racing variants, and no aerodynamic improvements were allowed.

BMW’s response was initially to field an E28 5 Series, the 528i. However, when this proved uncompetitive against the British Jaguars, the German manufacturer switched to an E24 6 Series for the 1983 season. Enter the 635 CSI, which had been around since 1976, and a privately-prepared Group 2 example of which had previously taken the ETCC title in 1981 with BMW Italia.

The model was powered by a 3.5-litre M30B34, tuned by specialists Alpina and Schrick, to give 300PS (296bhp) at 6,900 rpm, with final assembly carried out by Team Schnitzer.
Weighing 1,185kg and featuring top spec equipment including a Getrag 265/5 transmission, the 635, while less powerful than the V12-powered Jags, was both lighter and more manoeuvrable. And it paid off, with the BMW taking six wins to Jaguar’s four in that first revised Group A competition and securing that year’s European Touring Car Championship.

From then on, the 635 CSI proved a force to be reckoned with on the global stage, taking 16 titles across 12 series between 1983 and 1987. It took another ETCC in 1986, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft in 1984, plus the Australian Touring Car Championship and the AMSCAR series in 1985. Among its impressive race tally were two RAC TT wins (1980 and 1984), three Spa 24 Hour wins (1983, 1985 and 1986) and two 24 Hours of Nürburgring wins (1984 and 1985). Not bad for your average family saloon, eh?

BMW E30 M3 – 1987

A direct descendant of the 2002, the E30 M3 is BMW’s most successful racing car, with a huge 18 titles to its name, across 10 rally and touring championships.

Created for the inaugural 1987 World Touring Car Championship, the E30 M3, in the hands of Roberto Ravaglia, took two races and clinched the title. Elsewhere on the grid, M3s took five of the remaining 10 races, with Goodwood regular Emanuele Pirro among the campaigning drivers.

Powered by a 2.3-litre naturally aspirated engine, making 300PS (296bhp) at 8,200rpm, the E30 M3 competed against much larger-engined and turbocharged cars to win the 24 Hours Nürburgring five times (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994) and the Spa 24 Hours four times (1987, 1988, 1990 and 1992). It took the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft title twice, in 1987 and 1989, and the Italia Superturismo Championship four times, in 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1991.

Over the channel, the E30 M3 saw huge success at the British Touring Car Championship, with BMW winning the drivers' championship in 1988, 1991, while further afield, titles were taken in AMSCAR Series in 1987 and 1991.

BMW V12 LMR – 1999

Despite the dismal display by the 1998 V12 LM, BMW wasn’t disheartened, and came back fighting the following year with the V12 LMR. The radically revamped model retained only the basic structures of the V12 LM, and featured an entirely new, and far more aerodynamic bodywork with relocated cooling ducts and a smaller roll hoop behind just the driver.

Four new chassis were built by Williams F1, and fitted with the same BMW S70/3 6.0-litre V12 as the 1998 model, before Schnitzer Motorsport took charge of the team, fielding the cars in both the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the new American Le Mans Series.

As much as 1998 wasn’t BMW’s year, 1999 was. The V12 LMR debuted at the Sebring 12 Hours, where Tom Kristensen, JJ Lehto and Jörg Müller took victory. Soon afterwards, at Le Mans 24 Hours, Yannick Dalmas, Pierluigi Martini and Joachim Winkelhock won against incredibly capable rivals. To date, it remains BMW’s only overall victory at Le Mans. Later that year, Lehto and Steve Soper scored three further race wins over the Pond.

Despite shunning Le Mans the following year in order to concentrate on its new role as Williams F1 engine provider, BMW didn’t want the V12 LMRs to go to waste, and decided to contest the full American Le Mans Series season before they were retired.

Faced with new competition in the form of Audi’s second generation R8 Le Mans prototype and a pair of Panoz LMPs, the V12 LMR was decidedly less successful than it had been the previous year. However, when Audi decided to perfect its R8 for Le Mans and race the older R8R, the duo of Lehto/Müller took their chance and scored victory in both Charlotte, North Carolina, and the European round in Silverstone. With the dominant R8 returned, the V12 LMR lost its edge once more, but BMW still managed a respectable second place in the Championship.  

BMW-Sauber F1.08 – 2008

The most modern model to make our list, the BMW Sauber F1.08 was very much a ‘what if’ model, with fans lamenting BMW’s decision to give up on the car so early in the season.
Over the previous year’s iteration, the model saw aerodynamic adjustments including a new front wing and revised sidepods and rear section for a cleaner airflow. It saw a successful start to the season, with a handful of podium finishes and poles in the hands of drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. The F1.08’s best result of the season came at the Canadian Grand Prix, with Kubica qualifying on the front row of the grid, in second behind Lewis Hamilton. With a crash ruling Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen out of the competition, the two BMW Sauber cars took the opportunity to take the lead. Ultimately, they took a 1-2 finish, with Kubica crossing the line 16 seconds ahead of Heidfeld.

Despite Kubica leading the championship after his Canadian win, BMW Sauber saw the F1.08 as uncompetitive against the Ferraris and McLarens and so shifted its attention to the following year’s F1.09. However, many – Kubica included – saw this as a crying shame, and speculated that they could have won the championship if they had remained focused on the task in hand.

F1.09 and 635 CSI image courtesy of Motorsport Images.