BMW CSL 3.5 IMSA

Among all the BMWs using the Coupe Sport Leicht (CSL) name, none is as outrageous as the 1975 IMSA contender featured here. With superwide fender flares and a dazzling paint scheme, it can be ranked among the most visually exciting racecars ever made. It is also one of the most successful of all the CSL programs winning seven IMSA races outright with Hans Stuck taking four wins in 1975Only four CSLs were campagned by BMW North America to compete in the IMSA series. They wanted to reestablish the BMW name in American motor sports and they made a safe bet by using a design that had already proven itself in Europe. Since the regulations were somewhat different overseas, these cars could be much lighter with less trim that resulted in a car close to 2315 lbs (1000 kg). The 1975 cars are easily identified by their lack of 3/4 windows which were refitted for the 1976 season.The original CSL was conceived to help BMW and companies like Alpina and Schnitzer win the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). It was the first product of BMW Motorsport GmbH, a subsidiary of BMW dedicated to motor sports development that is now more famously known as the M division.