The BMW CCA Foundation and The Ultimate Driving Museum announced the launching of the “Car of the Month Brought to You By Continental” campaign in June, which will spotlight one car each month until the remainder of the year, to help support The Power of M exhibit at the Museum, celebrating BMW Motorsport’s 50th anniversary.
The exhibit, which opened to the public on May 16 and will run through January 2023, features 25 cars and one motorcycle from throughout BMW Motorsport’s history, including significant race cars and their roadgoing counterparts from BMW M.
“By recognizing each month one of the iconic cars that are in the exhibit, we hope to bring awareness to BMW fans and the public to the dynamic provenance each of these cars represents in the history of BMW Motorsport,” said Bruce Hazard, Board Trustee and head of Exhibit Committee for The Ultimate Driving Museum.
”Each car has its own story that established itself either as a race winner or a champion on the road. We at BMW CCA Foundation are proud of how BMW’s legacy of winning races has translated to producing outstanding cars for the consumer.”
The first “Car of the Month” for June is the BMW 1974 E9 3.0 CSL No. 2275469, powered by a 3153cc M30 inline six-cylinder engine with 206 hp @ 5600 rpm, 215 lb-ft @4200 rpm.
Developed by Alpina in 1971, the 3.0 CSL (for Coupe Sport Lightweight) became an even more potent race car after the creation of BMW Motorsport on May 24, 1972. BMW Motorsport continued the CSL’s evolution with a fuel-injected 3.2-liter engine and the “Batmobile” aerodynamics. CSL #2275469 is one of 167 Batmobile CSLs built at Karmann from July 1973 to October 1975, each delivered with its rear wing and roof spoiler packed in the trunk.
Sold new in Germany, this CSL was purchased by Alain de Graeve in 1983. Then 17, de Graeve shipped it to the US and drove it during his first year of college before sending it home to his native Luxembourg. There it remained for 40 years, until de Graeve looked up the VIN and discovered that he owned an original Batmobile. “I had no idea. It didn’t have the big rear wing on it, just the roof wing. I couldn’t believe it!”
He sent it to Munich for restoration in June 2015, and the car arrived at de Graeve’s home in Miami six years later. It took two class wins—at the Boca Raton and Hilton Head concours—before going on display in The Power of M exhibit.
Full information on this 3.0 CSL may be found at https://bmwccafoundation.org/uncategorized/continentals-car-of-the-month/
The 1974 BMW E9 3.0 CSL No. 2275469 – June’s “Car of the Month.” (Klaus Schnitzer image)
Along with 25 cars and one motorcycle, The Power of M includes informative displays throughout, telling the history of the cars and BMW M in words and photos.
The exhibit will also be commemorated with a lavishly produced book that features the history of each car and the M brand/BMW Motorsport, with text by Jackie Jouret alongside new photography by Klaus Schnitzer and archival photos. The books will be sold through the BMW CCA Foundation Store as well as Amazon.
Open to the public from May 16 through January 2023,The Power of M: Celebrating 50 Years is the fifth major exhibit staged by the BMW CCA Foundation. It follows these previous major exhibitions: 2017’s Heroes of Bavaria; 2018’s The ICON: 50 Years of the 2002; 2019’s PASSION: 50 Years of BMW Cars and Community; and 2020’s GENESIS: BMW From the Beginning. GENESIS closed in May 2021 following a successful year-long run at The Ultimate Driving Museum – right across Highway 101 from BMW Manufacturing, and next door to the BMW Performance Center in Greer, South Carolina.
