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Driver: Henry Schmitt - Chassis: 2275987 - Group 5A: FIA, IMSA, GT, GTX, AAGT, GTU 1973 - 1981

Assumed to be Silverstone 1976

Walkinshaw on his way to victory in the inagrual Silverstone 6hrs in 1976

6 Hours Silverstone 1976

1976 assumed to be Silvertone

Vallelunga, April 4th 1976 - Dieter Quester & John Fitzpatrick

1976 Daytona #25 Hermetite sponsored Motorsport livery

1975 April 20th Road Atlanta

The winners of the 1975 12 Hours of Sebring celebrate in Victory Lane. Sam Posey stands on top of the BMW CSL, flanked by Brian Redman (far right), Hans Stuck (seated next to Redman) and Allan Moffat (with daughter). Photo: Bill Oursler/autosportsltd.com

1975 Sebring

Sam Posey, Hans Stuck, Brian Redman and Ronnie Peterson
Daytona. Vin and date unknown

1975 24h Daytona

1975 Daytona

Identification:

Configuration M49 Straight 6
Location Front, longitudinally mounted
Construction cast-iron block, aluminium alloy head
Displacement 3,498 cc / 213.5 cu in
Engine
Bore / Stroke 94.0 mm (3.7 in) / 84.0 mm (3.3 in)
Compression 11.0:1
Valvetrain 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC
Fuel feed Kugelfischer Fuel Injection
Aspiration Naturally Aspirated
Power 438 bhp / 327 KW @ 8,800 rpm
BHP/Liter 125 bhp / liter

Drivetrain
Body steel and aluminium doors, engine cover and rear cover
Chassis unitary steel
Front suspension McPherson struts, Bilstein gas-pressurised shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension semi trailing arms, coil springs, Bilstein gas pressurised telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar
Steering rack-and-pinion
Brakes (fr/r) ventilated discs
Gearbox 5 speed Manual
Drive Rear wheel drive

Dimensions
Weight 1,100 kilo / 2,425 lbs
Length / Width / Height 4,674 mm (184 in) / 1,778 mm (70 in) / 1,366 mm (53.8 in)
Wheelbase / Track (fr/r) 2,625 mm (103.3 in) / N/A / N/A
Wheels (fr/r) BBS 13 x 16 / 16 x 16
Tyres (fr/r) 300/625 - 16 / 350/650 - 16

Performance:
Power to weight 0.4 bhp / kg
Top Speed 270 km/h (168 mph)
0-60 mph 4.6 s
0-100 mph 10.0 s

2275987 in which Brian Redman, Allan Moffat, Hans Stuck and Sam Posey took their famous victory in Sebring in 1975. Redman drove for more than seven of the race’s 12 hours, battling a failing wheel bearing and a dead alternator in the eleventh hour to bring the car home to victory. Redman recounts that he conserved battery power by driving with the headlights off (not an easy feat in the darkness of Sebring!) everywhere except on the front straight in an attempt to avoid being black-flagged. The two-race third round at Road Atlanta was unfortunately not very kind to the BMW team. In 987, Posey crashed out of the first race due to a rear hub failure after running as high as 4th, putting an end to his weekend. In 1976, the records are now clear that 987 competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona as the No. 25 Hermatite-sponsored car, driven by John Fitzpatrick and Tom Walkinshaw to 15th position. In March 1976, 987 was shipped back to Munich, converted to Group 5 specification and raced with great success in Europe during the 1976 season, still under Hermatite sponsorship. With Fitzpatrick and Walkinshaw, it took a win at Silverstone and second place at Zeltweg. In August 1976, 987 came back to the U.S. to run in the Watkins Glen 6 Hour endurance race at the hands of Fitzpatrick, Walkinshaw and Redman, but it did not finish due to a fuel tank issue. 987 remains in Group 5 specification and is owned and actively vintage raced by Henry Schmitt of BMW San Francisco, wearing the #58 BMW Motorsport livery.

At the start of the season Porsche revealed its blisteringly fast 935, bringing turbo engines to prominence a year before they reached Formula One. These cars were wild but, in the right hands, unstoppable – arriving in Britain after dominating the first two rounds of the championship, the Daytona 24 Hours and Mugello 6 Hours.

Porsche’s works entry for Silverstone was driven by Formula One stars Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass, with a raft of new privately-owned 935s arriving in Britain for the inaugural 6 Hours. BMW had responded by producing the mighty turbocharged 3.2 CSL coupé and this car debuted at Silverstone with ‘Superswedes’ Ronnie Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson at the wheel.

Against these mighty German works cars stood a new British team established by the bullish young charger Tom Walkinshaw, who shared driving duties with former British touring car and European GT champion, John Fitzpatrick. Armed with the BMW 3.5 CSL, the prospect of appearing on home ground was something special from the outset.

“When it appeared on the calendar Tom and I were particularly pleased about it,” Fitzpatrick recalls. “I seem to remember that in the UK everybody thought it was a wonderful idea and we had terrific crowds there for the whole weekend. It was a really big event and it stayed big on the calendar – of course it still is a big event today.”

Qualifying saw the turbo cars rampant, with Ickx/Mass taking pole position for Porsche alongside the Peterson/Nilsson BMW. Nevertheless the might of the new turbo engines took a heavy toll on the transmissions of the faster cars, turning the race into a ‘hare and tortoise’ race in which Walkinshaw and Fitzpatrick pitted their local knowledge and the BMW’s reliability against the bursts of raw speed that their rivals could manage.

“Tom had actually got another race at Thruxton on the same day,” Fitzpatrick remembers. “So he started the 6 Hours and then left me to do the last two thirds of it! It was a small band of brothers because the team was made up largely of ex-Broadspeed mechanics who I knew very well and we had raced together for years and years.”

Fitzpatrick and his band of brothers were pushed to the limit in the closing stages of the race, when the Porsche 935 of Bob Wollek and Hans Heyer recovered from its earlier delays and began to reel in the British entry. Crossing the line for the 218th time, Fitzpatrick took the chequered flag just 1.18 seconds ahead of the mighty Porsche, setting a tradition of tension and excitement for which the Silverstone 6 Hours is renowned to this day.

“If I had to pick one favourite racing car from my career it would be that BMW,” says Fitzpatrick. “It won the first race at Silverstone, it was a very British team effort with Tom and myself and the Broadspeed boys. It was a pleasure to drive that car and to win such an exciting race.”

“The win at Sebring in March 1975 with the BMW CSL was a great occasion and we had a very good race, really,” Redman told Sportscar365.

“Jochen Neerpasch, the team manager, his instructions to the drivers which was Sam Posey and Hans Stuck in one car and Allan Moffat and myself in the other car were, ‘Hans, you will go out and break the Porsches.’ Which he did, but he broke himself as well.

“He said to me, ‘Brian, you will take care and win the race.’ And really that’s what happened! I did the last session and actually drove about seven hours in the race for various reasons.”

Stuck described his last-minute call-up to become part of the eventual winning entry.

“I was going on the car with Sam, and something failed on my car,” Stuck told Sportscar365. “I don’t know what it was. It was a gearbox or engine. Then I was put in the other car with Brian and Moffat.

“The longer the race went on, the bigger the chance was to win the race. When you are a young driver, when you have such an important chance to win the race, you’ve never had that chance. You hear voices that never existed. You have to be especially careful, and sometimes too careful.

“I remember a very interesting thing. At the last pit stop, when I just wanted to take off, our tire engineer stopped me because he could see we have a slow puncture. So we had to put a fresh tire on. We don’t know if we would have won the race without it.”

Redman recalled another potential pitfall, in the lights on the car not working according to plan.

“My battery started to go down for some reason,” Redman said. “It started going, so I had to drive without the lights, except going past the pits, I didn’t want to get black-flagged.

“With about 20 minutes to go I come past the pits, put the lights on and look at the gauges. To my horror, the rear axle temperature gauge was off the clock. I slowed right down to as slow as I could go, and watched the gap come down as much as I could to the second car.

Developed by Alpina in 1970 was a new lightweight version of BMW’s exclusive 2800 CS Coupe, the 3.0 CSL. The 3.0 CSL designed specifically to meet the demands of racing, went into production in August of 1971. It featured a larger more powerful engine, a lighter 5-speed transmission, an aluminum hood, trunk lid and doors, as well as more powerful brakes, wider wheels, a sport tuned suspension and additional aerodynamic parts. It was homologated as a racer in Group 2 for the 1973 season. Under the leadership of Jochen Neerpasch, BMW had established its own in-house racing division. BMW Motorsport took over the development of the CSL from Alpina. They quickly evolved the 200hp two valve M30 inline six-cylinder engine into a 330hp M38. In 1973 the engine became the M52 with the capacity increased to as much as 3.5-liters, still with two valves per cylinder and an output of 370hp. In 1973 the aerodynamic parts that gave the CSL its nickname of “Batmobile” were homologated. Those parts included a deep front air dam, large rear spoiler, an air guide where the roof met the rear window and fins along the front fenders, which were wider along with the rears in order to accommodate wider tires. In the midst of developing the M49 engine, the BMW Motorsport division was also building a series of CSL race cars. The 21 bodies were pulled from the production line at the Karmann plant in Osnabrück. In Munich the shells were fitted with a roll cage, racing suspension, a purpose-built motorsport engine and all the other accessories needed to make them ready for racing. The registry of each car built at BMW Motorsport since its founding is recorded in the Kommissionsbuch, these chassis were built in descending order from chassis number 2 276 000 to 2 275 980. Chassis 2275987 was one of four CSLs built to IMSA GTO specification. The CSLs started out in Group 4 configuration for 1975. Along with 2275988, it was one of the first two cars race by BMW Motorsport in the US. They ran at both Daytona and Sebring to open the 1975 season. Taking over from the independent importer Max Hoffman, the newly formed BMW of North America began operating in November of 1974. The BMW IMSA campaign was a way to increase their brand awareness and serve as marketing for the newly formed BMW NA. In early 1975 BMW Motorsport rented shop space from NASCAR legend Bobby Allison. Two days before their first test at Daytona, they arrived at an empty metal building in Hueytown, Alabama. Technician Rudy Gmeiner stated, “First we had to set up the whole place. There was just the empty sheet metal building, and that was it!”. Two weeks later was the Daytona 24 Hour race on February 2, 1975. American Sam Posey and Hans Stuck were assigned to drive chassis #988 wearing racing #24 and Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson and British driver Brian Redman were in chassis #987 wearing #24. Despite only having raced at Daytona one other time, Peterson recorded a lap time of 1:56.710 which put #987 on the grid in second place. Unfortunately, both #987 and #988 were DNFs in their first outing at Daytona, but with less than three weeks until the 12 Hour race at Sebring on March 21st, the team began formulating a strategy based off their Daytona experience. Jochen Neerpasch instructed the drivers that Stuck and Posey would drive as fast as possible in #988 in order to “break ze Porsches!” as Brian Redman once reminisced and he and Allan Moffat were instructed to take it easy, meaning to run at 8,500rpm instead of the 9,000 rpm redline. The strategy worked and #988 forced the retirement of their archrival Peter Gregg/Hurley Haywood’s Brumos Porsche. With #988 out of the race all of the drivers circulated into the driver’s seat of #987, however Redman still ended up driving the bulk of the race. By the end of the race the car had a huge lead over the rest of the field, but was suffering from a failing wheel bearing, a dead alternator and 15 minutes before the checkered flag a rear axle temperature that was off the gauge. Redman limped #987 across the finish line after nine hours behind the wheel three laps ahead of the nearest competitor. After scoring their first major victory on US soil in only their second race, the BMW team were ecstatic. They received a telegram from Munich conveying them congratulations from BMW chairman Eberhard von Kuenheim and the sales chief Hans Erdman Schönbeck. Unfortunately, the next months would not bring as much success with #988 crashing in testing at Road Atlanta and #987 suffering a rear hub failure that sent Sam Posey into the barricades forcing #987 to be retired for the 1975 IMSA season. At Daytona in 1976 #987 in its Motorsport livery, but with an added “Hermetite” across the top of its windshield and #988 were joined by a third CSL. John Fitzpatrick and Tom Walkinshaw were assigned car #987. Fitzpatrick was in second place halfway through the race when electrical problems forced him into the pits. While #987 rejoined the race, it completed just 457 laps and placed 15th. After Daytona #987 was sent back to Munich where it was converted to Group 5 specification. With a new livery that reflected its Hermetite sponsorship, the latest M49 engine, and larger spoilers, #987 made its debut at the World Championship of Makes’ season opener at Mugello in March, 1976. Fitzpatrick and Walkinshaw would finish 8th overall and 6th in Division 3. The next race at Vallelunga saw a 4th OA finish and a 3rd in class. A month later the #987 would take its first Group 5 victory in the World Championship for Makes at Silverstone. With another win later in the season at Zeltweg, BMW was able to take 2nd place overall for the 1976 season only 10 points behind its archrival Porsche. While the 1976 season would be the CSL’s last as a BMW Motorsports racer, it ran again in the South African 1,000 Kyalami race. Not part of the regular season, the race paid for the transportation costs and start money to ensure a strong field. Unfortunately, #987 was forced to retire after developing a fuel leak on lap 99. Thus, its international racing career ended. At the tie the CSLs were retired, BMW was not saving its old race cars. It reserved one IMSA-spec CSL, #984 for show and display, but the rest of the CSLs were put up for sale to privateers. After the race in South Africa, CSL #987 was sold to Hermosa Beach BMW dealer and racer Vasek Polak. Polak, who was also a Porsche dealer and racer had purchased both #987 and #988 but raced them only occasionally. After the cars raced in 1978 they were placed in storage where they would remain for nearly 20 years until the current owner, Henry Schmitt, approached Polak about buying one. Schmitt and Polak negotiated the purchase of #987 and a supply of spares shortly before Polak’s death in an auto accident in 1997. His estate honored the deal however, and in June of 1997 Schmitt became owner of CSL 2 275 987. In 1997 the cars racing history was largely unknown. With cars swapping race numbers and chassis numbers not being tracked as they are now, it made it difficult to ascertain its true heritage. Because Schmitt assumed his car to be just a Motorsport built IMSA CSL with no real race winning provenance, he began racing in the car in 1998. In 2005 he decided it was time to improve the CSLs performance and enlisted the help of Bill Watson’s Road Rockets at Sears Point to aid him in the process. He wanted to update the car as much as possible within the vintage racing rules. The original engine was removed and set aside for preservation and an M30 cylinder block from a first generation 7 Series was used as its replacement. The new engine was fitted with the original components from the original engine to give the engine bay a look that is almost identical to the original except for the cam cover, which as the words “BMW M Power” cast into it unlike the M49. In addition to the motor, the safety equipment was updated, and a new seat and fire control system was installed, as was air conditioning and new BBS wheels. The car was finished in time for the Monterey historic races in August 2007. In 2008 the car’s roll cage was revised and some chassis fractures were repaired. After two DNFs in 2009, Watson rebuilt the engine. The cylinder block and head were given a cryogenic treatment to reduce stress and improve their thermal properties. After two more years of racing an extensive drivetrain overhaul was completed in 2011. The gearbox and differential were rebuilt and a new Öhlins suspension with more precise dampening was installed. During the 2012 and 2013 season while Schmitt was racing his pro car, Watson replaced the crankshaft and rebuilt the cylinder head. He also treated the transmission and differential to the same cryogenic treatment previously done to the engine block. The steering column and other mechanicals were replaced and a new set of BBS 16-inch wheels was installed. In 2016 #987 was confirmed by BMW to be the 1976 Sebring winning racecar. It confirmed that #985, which had previously been recorded as the winner, had not in fact arrived in the US until May of that year. After reviewing the Kommissionsbuch, it was verified that the race cars had in fact been built in descending and not ascending order and the higher numbered cars were in fact the older of the CSL race cars. The corrected history was published in the February 2017 issue of Bimmer magazine written by BMW of North America’s Tom Plucinsky. Schmitt’s had always suspected that his car was not merely a spare but had been actively raced in 1975. As he stated “There isn’t a corner on it that hasn’t been brazed, hammered, straightened or welded. That car was driven hard and put away wet!” Schmitt has driven the car hard. “I’ve pushed it to my limit, if not the car’s, because I’ve been out there trying to win.” says Schmitt. “I went through motors and differentials and everything trying to beat other guys, and I had a lot of fun with the car. Now, knowing what I know, it’s too valuable for me to race in anger, but I don’t want to be doing parade laps out there. You put the helmet on, and the competitive juices start flowing!” Schmitt has now restored the car to its as-race configuration wearing its 1976 Group 5 bodywork. It is wearing the BMW Motorsport’s IMSA livery in place of the Hermetite colors it wore in the World Championship for Makes. In 2007 Schmitt had purchased a set of CSL spares along with #988 as a package deal. However, never intending to keep #988 he sold it on. The spares however he kept. After restoring #987 he decided to use the spares from both cars to create a tribute spare Motorsport built CSL. As he stated, “I don’t want to use my 15 seconds of fame being the guy who crashed #987, the Sebring winner. Now that I have a duplicate that doesn’t have that history and that can be just as if not more competitive because it has a stiff new chassis, I can still be out there vintage racing a CSL.” Exterior Number #987, one of the most significant cars in the history of BMW Motorsports in the US, is clothed in BMW Motorsports Livery. A true race car, there are few parts of this car that have not been repair at some point in its life. The styling of this, the original, “Batmobile” could not be more impressive. The wide body, wing and front valance all help to provide racing performance that even some 45 years after its victory is nothing short of astonishing. Interior The interior of #987 is set up for nothing but racing. With a race seat, safety harness and a full racing cage. The cockpit remains in good shape and is in ready to race condition. The VDO gauges all function properly and have been well maintained in working order. The dash has been signed by the 1975 Sebring winning drivers, Brian Redman and Hans Stuck. Engine and Drive Train The period 3.5-liter M49 engine is installed in the car backed by a 5-speed C/R “dog-leg” transmission. A C/R steering rack has also been installed. The engine and drive train have been maintained in race ready condition for the entirety of the life of #987. Campaigned by Mr. Schmitt for many years, there is a plethora of documentation recording the work done to the car during his ownership.