The BMW CCA Foundation and the Ultimate Driving Museum, the latter located at BMW’s huge stateside production facility in Greer, South Carolina, are participating in a museum exhibit known as The Power of M, which commemorates 50 years of BMW motorsport in North America. To that end, The Car of the Month Brought to You by Continental, to use its full name, will spotlight 25 cars and one motorcycle that will form a rotating monthly exhibit at the Greer museum through January 23, all of them storied race cars or their roadgoing counterparts.
The first such car selected is depicted above. It’s 1974 BMW 3.0 CSL No. 2275469, powered by a 3,153cc M30 inline six-cylinder engine with 206 horsepower at 5600 RPM and 215-lbs.ft. of torque at 4,200 RPM. Initially designed by the Alpina tuner house, the 3.0 CSL became the prototype for the infamous “Batmobiles,” so named for their plethora of wings and spoilers, that wowed crowds during IMSA competition in the 1970s. This is one of 167 Alpina-built CSLs that were sold with their wings packed in the trunk. A college kid originally from Luxembourg bought it new and drove it off and on for 40 years before a VIN check unveiled what he really had. It’s now the first car to strut at the M Power exhibition in Greer.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 