BMW 3.0CSL 2275984

Race attendance: none

2275984 was the last IMSA-specification CSL and was constructed in July 1975. From the beginning, it was built specifically as a show car for the IAA Frankfurt Auto Show that fall. Although 2275984 is a complete car with engine, drivetrain and complete ABS system, it was never in the U.S., nor did it ever turn a wheel in a race. Instead, it appears that 2275984 was handed over to the Mobile Tradition/BMW Group Classic collection after the IAA, and it has remained there ever since. As such, it is truly the best time capsule car of the IMSA Group 4 specification in 1975. In fact, it’s still equipped with the experimental ABS system in the trunk. When the expanded BMW Museum opened in 2008, 984 was placed on permanent exhibition in the Motorsports room, where it remains to this day. On a side note, the BMW Motorsport team experimented with ABS as early as 1973 with the hope that it could give the CSL an advantage. The highly complex and marginally reliable system made its race premiere with Stuck at the Nürburgring 1000 km in 1974. The IMSA team experimented with the system, as well, but could not get it to operate consistently. In failure mode, the car would revert to normal braking. The result was that the driver could never truly rely on having ABS. In the end, the system was abandoned, and the only remaining example of this early ABS is mounted in 984.