Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Horns!
BMW Motorsport GmbH did not develop the 3.0 CSL. A recent BMWCCA article explains that it was Alpina that developed the 3.0 CSL. GmbH's contribution was the "Batmobile" aero-package.
Alpina started developing the CSL in 1970. The final specs were settled upon in 1971. Lutz established GmbH in 1972 when he showed up.
To leave this out of the history of the CSL seems a little odd.
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Thanks for pointing out that detail.
It must've been my wording in the original post. It wasn't the intention.
In any case, I've fixed the OP to correct the misunderstanding.
ALPINA was indeed tasked with spearheading the development of the 3.0 CSL, since they were the contemporary BMW experts in touring car racing.
To BMW's credit, the racing department (and the people) within BMW that facilitated this cooperation & development would be later formally incorporated as BMW Motorsport GmbH in 1972 as more key people joined the division.
So while the 3.0 CSL does predate the formal establishment of BMW Motorsport GmbH, that doesn't mean the department/division itself didn't exist in the CSL's development.
It's still widely considered that the 3.0 CSL is BMW M's "first" creation. Not the first BMW to bear the M Badge, but the car that marked the birth of BMW M.