If you have as rich a history as BMW, you are going to have quite a few iconic cars from your past. Cars that are worth preserving in their own right, as the progression of past to present is so determinative of present to future. On the BMW Group Classic YouTube channel, the company has showcased the 3.0 CSL “Batmobile”. One of the sleekest and stylish of all BMWs and the first to show off the iconic M Stripes.
Rear-Wing Gives It The Batmobile Nickname
So-called the “Batmobile” thanks to its epic rear-wing, dates back to 1973 where it has the distinction of being the first A-Z developed race car from BMW Motorsports. When it comes to the stripes, they all stand for different things. The red stands for racing, the blue for BMW, and the purple is a combination of the two: BMW Racing. Another interesting thing to note is the red is often spoken about as "Texaco Red", stemming from sponsor negotiations that ultimately did not pan out. 1,000 of these cars had to be homologated for production to allow it to be entered into Group 2 races, where it won the European Touring Car Championship in its first year.
The CSL Featured In The Video Is In Fact A Replica
This racing CSL “Batmobile” is actually not an original one. It’s a dedicated, authentic replica, so as not to ruin any of the originals due to how valuable they are and allow the replica to be unleased to the full potential of the original “Batmobile”.
The year 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the CSL and the CSI, the road-going edition. It was the first BMW production car to combine four iconic design attributes that were typical of the company. There are the double lights at the front to form the four-eyed face, the iconic sickle line down the side of the car, the famous Hoffmeister Kink, and finally, the iconic coupe silhouette.
Three Versions Of The Car Maxed Out At Over 200 Hp
The car was built in three evolutionary steps, ranging from the 180 hp carburetor version, up to the 3.2-liter fuel injected version with 206 hp. The example of the road-version shown alongside the racing CSL in the video is the rarest example of them all, and it features that iconic “Batmobile” wing. Other versions also had the three-strut wing, of which only 57 were built and BMW doesn’t know how many still exist. Truly, the “Batmobile” is one of the most instantly recognizable and iconic cars in BMWs long history.
Source: YouTube