Guide: BMW E9 CSL Gr.2 / 73
Background
By November 28th 1972 BMW’s 3.0 CSL had reached the 1000-car production requirement for Group 2 and was approved for competition use.
Group 2 was a class for Improved Touring Cars which meant (unlike Group 1) considerable technical modifications were permitted beyond the standard specification.
Chassis
The initial list of homologated Group 2 parts for the CSL was fairly extensive.
A front suspension kit included uprated struts, top-mounts, hubs, bearings, crossmembers, radius-rods, track control arms and steering arms.
The rear suspension kit comprised uprated suspension arms, rear wheel shafts, bearings and axle carriers.
Bigger 302mm brake discs and beefier calipers were also homologated.
Bodywork
Flared fenders enabled wider wheels to be fitted and the twin windscreen wipers were ditched in favour of just one.
Engine & Gearbox
Group 2 engine regulations allowed manufacturers to increase the size of their engines up to the class limit. As the CSL would compete in the unlimited over three-litre category, BMW were only restricted by their engine’s natural capacity limit; 3.5-litres was thought to be its maximum.
The Group 2 CSL engines were further enhanced by the addition of a dry-sump lubrication assembly with three-stage pump, uprated connecting rods, a magnesium-alloy cylinder head cover and lightweight sump shield.
Outputs for the early 3003cc engines equipped with all the Group 2 parts started at around 330bhp.
By the end of the season, when 3.5-litre engines were on stream, this figure had risen to in excess of 400bhp.
BMW homologated the CSL with a choice of two five-speed gearboxes: either a ZF S5-18/3 or a Getrag 265 with magnesium-alloy housing.
Other transmission enhancements included a lightweight flywheel for a twin or triple plate clutch, magnesium-alloy upper and lower gear housing covers and a magnesium-alloy bellhousing.
The rear axle was uprated with a light metal gear housing plus a cooling system and pump.
Interior
The Group 2 rules stipulated that passenger compartment trim such as door panels could not be removed.
More modifications would be homologated during the course of the year.
1973 Season
The newly incorporated BMW Motorsport GmbH (managed by Jochen Neerpasch) was established to contest the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) and the domestic Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM), both of which had been dominated by works Ford Capris in previous years.
Technical assistance would also be given to the experienced Alpina and Schnitzer teams that had been racing the E9 2800 CS since 1970. In addition to campaigning their own quasi-works CSLs, both Alpina and Schnitzer also built cars for privateers.
1973 Brands Hatch (British TCC)
It was just such an example that made the CSL’s debut in the opening round of the 1973 British Touring Car Championship on March 18th.
Alpina’s Burkard Bovanseipen was on hand to look after the white and orange car his firm had built for Malcolm Gartlan’s Dealer Team BMW outfit in the UK.
It was driven by Australian, Brian Muir, who qualified second for the 20 lap race. Muir’s time was two seconds behind the 550bhp seven-litre Chevrolet Camaro of Frank Gardner.
Muir found he couldn’t select fourth gear on the warm up lap, a problem that affected him throughout the race. He initially dropped to fourth but recovered to second, only to then spin on the approach to Paddock Bend. This dropped him back down to fourth where he finished.
1973 Monza 4 Hours (ETCC)
One week later, the European Touring Car Championship kicked off with a four hour race at Monza.
Ford took three of their new Capri RS Lightweights while BMW Motorsport arrived with a brace of 3.3-litre CSLs for Hans-Joachim Stuck / Chris Amon and Toine Hezemans / Dieter Quester.
The works BMWs weighed 1090kg (165kg heavier than the Capris) but had 360bhp compared to 320bhp.
Schnitzer took two silver and red Motul-backed CSLs: a 3.3-litre example for Vittorio Brambilla / Bob Wollek and a 3-litre for Ernesto Brambilla / Walter Brun.
The single Alpina machine present was Muir’s 3-litre car from Silverstone which he would share with Niki Lauda. The team changed its engine as routine on Friday night but, on Saturday, a rocker arm broke and the original motor was re-instated. Alpina’s 3.3-litre engine would not be ready for another week.
Ford had the edge in qualifying. Jackie Stewart / Dieter Glemser took pole, Brambilla / Wollek were second for Schnitzer and Jochen Mass / Jody Scheckter third in another works Capri. Stuck / Amon were fourth in their works CSL, John Fitzpatrick / Gerry Birrell fifth (works Capri), Hezemans / Quester sixth (works CSL) and Lauda / Muir seventh for Alpina.
The second Schnitzer entry of Ernesto Brambilla / Walter Brun was ninth but, before the race, it failed to fire up for the formation lap and therefore started from the pitlane.
Vittorio Brambilla made a great start and, at the end of the first lap, his Schnitzer CSL led from Stewart, Mass, Stuck, Birrell, Hezemans and Lauda.
Hezemans retired his work CSL on lap 14 with wheel bearing trouble. One lap later, Ernesto Brambilla went out with clutch failure.
Around the one hour mark, Stuck retired his works CSL with a broken piston caused by a blown head gasket. Vittorio Brambilla soon followed with fuel feed problems which reduced the CSL contingent to the lone Alpina entry of third-placed Lauda / Muir which was some way behind the lead Capris.
Muir handed over to Lauda for the final stint with Alpina happy to take third. However, late problems for the Capris ultimately saw Alpina take a surprise win by 21 seconds.
1973 Zolder (Belgian TCC)
The next outing for a CSL came in a 15 lap race at Zolder on April 1st as part of the Belgian Touring Car Championship.
Jean Xhenceval drove a handsome white and red machine prepared by brothers Luigi and Francesco Cimarosti which was campaigned under a Luigi / Racing Team Marabout entry.
An exciting race saw the Broadspeed Capri of Claude Bourgoignie take the lead followed by Xhenceval’s CSL and the Escort RS of Freddy Semoulin.
Xhenceval eventually finished 26 seconds adrift of the leaders in third.
1973 Silverstone (British TCC)
A week later, Silverstone hosted round two of the British Touring Car Championship.
On this occasion, Malcolm Gartlan’s Monza-winning Alpina CSL for Brian Muir had its 3.3-litre 346bhp engine installed.
Gardner’s Camaro took pole with the Broadspeed Capri of Dave Matthews second and Muir third.
On lap 17 of the race, Muir tried to pass Gardner’s Camaro on the inside at Becketts and the two cars touched. Muir took a lead he would hold until the end while Gardner span on to the grass.
1973 Nivelles (Belgian TCC)
The next round of the Belgian Touring Car Championship was the North Sea Trophy at Nivelles on April 15th. The event consisted of separate 15 lap races for Group 2 and Group 4 cars followed by a 15 lap final for the fastest machines from each category.
Three CSLs were on hand: the Alpina / Malcolm Gartlan example for Brian Muir, the Luigi / Racing Team Marabout entry for Jean Xhenceval and a pale yellow 3-litre Schnitzer-built example for Alan Peltier that was run under the Precision Liegeoise banner (his father’s company).
In the Group 2 race (which took place in pouring rain), Peltier took the win and Muir was fourth after losing time to avoid a spinning car. Xhenceval struggled with his engine and retired at two-thirds distance.
The final took place in dry conditions and the Group 2 saloons proved consistently faster than the Group 4 Porsche 911 RSRs. Muir was leading but, on lap 13, he missed a gear, over-revved the engine and retired. Peltier’s CSL finished a distant third behind Gardner’s Camaro and Bourgoignie’s Capri.
1973 Thruxton (British TCC)
Round three of the British Touring Car Championship was held at Thruxton on April 23rd.
Sole CSL representative for the 25 lap race was the Malcolm Gartlan / Dealer Team BMW-backed Alpina-built example of Brian Muir. The car ran the same (now rebuilt) 3-litre engine used to win at Monza because their Silverstone-winning 3.3-litre unit had suffered a broken rocker arm the week before at Nivelles.
Muir found the CSL’s handling and brakes to be troublesome and qualified third to complete the front row alongside Gardner’s pole-starting Camaro and Dave Matthews Broadspeed Capri.
Muir quickly dropped to fifth and was forced to pit when another car covered his windscreen with oil. He eventually recovered to second but was unable to catch Gardner’s Camaro.
1973 Nurburgring (DRM)
Next up was round one of the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft: a five lap affair at the Nurburgring on April 29th.
Although notionally a Group 2 contest, the series was also open to Group 4 cars like the Porsche 911 RSR.
BMW Motorsport had two cars present: one for Harald Menzel and the other for Toine Hezemans.
Alpina also had a pair of CSLs on hand for Hans-Peter Joisten and the Malcolm Gartlan-owned example for Brian Muir.
A fifth CSL arrived in the shape of Willi Weyer’s privateer machine.
Hezemans was quickest in qualifying followed by Menzel and the sole works Capri of Hans Heyer. Despite going off in practice, Muir was fourth. His Alpina team-mate, Joisten, started down in 14th, two places ahead of Weyer.
The two works CSLs led from the start but Heyer was irritated by the BMW’s blocking tactics. Menzel and Heyer had a coming together on the opening lap and both cars were retired back in the pits. Muir also went out on the first lap when damage from a spin resulted in fuel starvation.
This left Hezemans with a comfortable lead and the Dutchman cruised home with a six second advantage over the Kremer Porsche 911 RSR of Clemens Schickentanz.
Joisten eventually rose to seventh but Weyer was not classified.
1973 Zolder (Belgian TCC)
The same day as the DRM opener at the Nurburgring, Zolder hosted another Belgian Touring Car Championship event.
The CSL contingent was reduced to just Alain Peltier’s Precision Liegeoise machine.
Peltier qualified second behind Claude Bourgoignie’s BP Racing Team Capri.
In the 15 lap race, Peltier struggled with his brakes and finished a distant third behind Bourgoignie and Gardner’s Camaro.
The next weekend, two events were held at Spa Francorchamps over consecutive days. The 15 lap Coupes de Spa (part of the Belgian Touring Car Championship) was followed by the Spa 1000km, a round of the 1973 World Sportscar Championship.
1973 Coupes de Spa (Belgian TCC)
Four CSLs were entered for the Coupes de Spa but only three cars started as the Schnitzer example for Jacky Ickx was not ready on time.
The official Alpina-car was entered for Niki Lauda and Malcolm Gartlan’s Dealer Team UK example was on hand for Brian Muir. Alain Peltier’s Precision Liegeoise machine was also present.
Ford only contested the Coupe de Spa and not the main 1000km race. They had a solitary Capri present for Jochen Mass.
Lauda was fastest in qualifying but needed a second engine after the session. Mass was next and Frank Gardner’s Camaro was third.
Not long after the start, Muir was out with a blown head gasket and Peltier followed when his engine threw a rod.
Lauda and Mass had a great tussle at the front and the two continually swapped the lead until the penultimate lap when the Capri’s complete wheel assembly became detached on the entry to La Source.
Mass retired on the spot which left Lauda with an easy run to the flag.
1973 Spa 1000km (WSCC)
Despite its blown head gasket, Muir’s CSL was repaired in time to contest Sunday’s 1000km race. He and Lauda (in the two Alpina entries) would be joined by factory driver Hans-Joachim Stuck whom BMW had made available for the event.
Also present for the World Championship race was the Luigi / Racing Team Marabout CSL that Jean Xhenceval was set to share with Willy Braillard. However, this car failed to qualify.
Stuck went fastest of the three BMW drivers and put the Brian Muir car 14th on the grid. The only GT car to go faster was actually a works Porsche 911 RSR that was tricked out with so many special parts it had to run in the Prototype class.
The Lauda CSL started 18th.
Sole opposition to the Alpina BMWs in the Touring class came in the form of a privateer Capri that qualified 22nd but crashed out early on.
The race saw a tremendous battle between Lauda and the works Porsche 911 RSR which could just about keep pace. Both BMWs ran like clockwork; the only unscheduled stop was for Muir who came in to remove several pints of gearbox oil that had been sprayed over his windscreen by the Ferrari 312 PB of Jacky Ickx shortly before it retired.
The BMWs eventually finished seventh (Stuck / Lauda) and eighth (Stuck / Muir).
1973 Targa Florio (WSCC)
Round six of the 1973 World Sportscar Championship was the Targa Florio (May 13th).
Only one CSL was present at the event which comprised eleven laps of the twisty 72km Little Madonie circuit in Sicily. Drivers ‘Shangri-La’ and Alessandro Federico drove the yellow and black GS Tuning-prepared Scuderia Brescia Corse entry to 35th overall and first in the over two-litre Touring class.
1973 Salzburgring 4 Hours (ETCC)
One week later, the Salzburgring 4 Hours took place for round two of the ETCC (May 20th).
The date had been rescheduled from a snow-hit April and clashed with the Belgian Grand Prix. As a result, Lauda and Amon were both absent.
Three CSLs were in attendance. BMW Motorsport had a works 3.3-litre 360bhp CSL for Stuck / Quester. Schnitzer’s silver 376bhp 3.4-litre car was on hand for Brambilla / Jaussaud and had an adjustable full width rear spoiler. The Alpina entry for Hezemans / Muir was now painted orange. It used a 350bhp engine on the Friday before a 360bhp motor was installed for Saturday.
Glemser / Fitzpatrick took pole in the sole works Ford followed by the Schnitzer, BMW Motorsport and Alpina CSLs in second, third and fourth.
In the race, Brambilla took an early lead but, on lap 26, his Schnitzer BMW’s gear linkage became troublesome. Four laps were lost in the pits which dropped the car out of contention.
Soon after Stuck had taken over from Quester, the second-placed factory CSL was retired with a bent valve.
Then the Alpina car hit trouble. Hezemans came hurtling over the brow of a blind corner at 140mph to find a crashed 2002 in a pool of oil. The Alpina CSL first hit the 2002 and then the barriers, but Hezemans got the car going and returned to the pits where the tyres were changed and the bodywork taped up.
Ford ultimately romped home to a seven lap victory while Alpina and Schnitzer recovered to finish second and third.
1973 Nurburgring 1000km (WSCC)
A week later, a better entry of Group 2 cars and drivers appeared for the Nurburgring 1000km which was round seven of the World Sportscar Championship (May 27th).
BMW Motorsport took two works CSLs for Stuck / Amon and Hezemans / Quester. Alpina also had a brace of cars on hand for Lauda / Muir and Joisten / Rosser.
Jochen Mass went fastest of the Group 2 entries in one of the two works Capris. He set a new saloon car record and started 17th with the sister car of Fitzpatrick / Birrell 18th.
Best of the BMWs was that of Stuck / Amon in 20th while Hezemans / Quester lined up 24th. Joisten / Rosser started 30th for Alpina.
Unfortunately, the Lauda / Muir Alpina entry did not start after Muir went backwards into the barriers and incurred too much damage to race. This caused much consternation among the Alpina mechanics who had spent all week welding on a new rear end after the car’s Salzburgring accident.
In the race, Stuck crashed out on lap five while trying to keep up with the lead Ford of Jochen Mass.
Although Mass later retired with a broken distributor, the sister Capri of Fitzpatrick / Birrell went on to take the Touring class victory with sixth overall after a trouble-free run.
The works CSL of Hezemans / Quester was a lap behind in ninth overall while Joisten / Rosser failed to finish for Alpina.
1973 Thruxton (British TCC)
Two days after his indiscretion at the Nurburgring, Muir was back in the Dealer Team BMW CSL for round three of the British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton.
Muir took pole; his CSL now sporting a 3.3-litre 360bhp engine built in Germany by the Gartlan team in conjunction with Alpina. The car’s springs and brakes had also been altered and the result was a pole time eight tenths of second inside Gardner’s lap record from earlier in the year.
In the race, Gardner passed Muir on the opening lap and, when backmarkers were encountered on lap five, the big Camaro was able to get away. Despite a blown head gasket late on in the 25 lap race, Muir held out to claim second.
1973 Mantorp Pack (ETCC)
Only one works Capri was present for the ETCC 500km race at Mantorp Park in Sweden on June 3rd and there were no factory CSLs. Instead, both Ford and BMW were gearing up for the Le Mans 24 Hours in seven days time.
Alpina showed up with the Gartlan CSL which had been dispatched from England for Muir / Hezemans. Their other machine was still undergoing repair having been crashed in back-to-back races at the Salzburgring and Nurburgring during the previous two weekends.
Schnitzer had their highly developed 3.4-litre CSL for Vittorio Brambilla / Bob Wollek.
Both Schnitzer and Alpina fitted fresh engines on Saturday.
Also at Mantorp Park was a new 3.3-litre CSL for Swedes, Rune Tobiasson and Leif Hansen. Built up by the Motor Nord team, it featured several Alpina tweaks but the cylinder head, camshaft and valves were all to their own design. It was only just finished in time for the event and qualified eleventh.
Glemser / Mass took pole in the works Capri, Schnitzer were second and Alpina third.
By mid distance, the top three cars had lapped the field twice. Mass was 40 seconds ahead of Brambilla (Schnitzer) and Muir (Alpina) was a further twelve seconds back.
Unfortunately, the Schnitzer CSL’s engine lost a cylinder and retired with 17 laps to go.
The Alpina crew were delayed by miscalculations for fuel which required an extra two stops. They eventually recovered to finish second behind the Glemser / Mass Capri.
1973 Le Mans 24 Hours (WSCC)
A special Touring car class was organised for round eight of the 1973 World Sportscar Championship: the Le Mans 24 Hours (June 9th and 10th). It attracted a two-car team from BMW Motorsport and three-car team from Ford. A privateer Schnitzer-prepared 3.3-litre CSL was also entered by the Wicky Racing Team but was not really in the same league.
In the interest of reliability, BMW reduced the compression ratios of their engines from 11.0:1 to 10.5:1 and installed a secondary ignition system. The CSLs had 360bhp compared to Ford’s 300bhp. Both team’s fitted their race engines on Wednesday night.
The Capris qualified 20th (Glemser / Fitzpatrick), 22nd (Birrell / Heyer) and 25th (Koinigg / Vinatier). The works CSLs started 29th (Quester / Hezemans) and 30th (Amon / Stuck).
The Wicky CSL of Walter Brun, Cox Kocher and Jean-Pierre Aeschlimann lined up 47th after Brun had clouted the barriers in practice. This car retired on lap one with engine issues.
Amon was in trouble early on with his BMW stuck in fifth gear and going very slowly.
At the front of the class, the Glemser / Fitzpatrick Capri was ahead of the Quester / Hezemans BMW until around midnight when it lost an hour in the pits with engine trouble and the CSL inherited the lead.
At 6am, BMW lost their hold on the Group 2 category. A seized brake caliper piston caused a three-lap delay and dropped Quester / Hezemans behind Fitzpatrick and Glemser who had by this time been joined by Hans Heyer.
The BMW challenge was reduced to just one CSL in the 16th hour when Stuck went into the sand at Indianapolis trying to avoid a spinning Ferrari. The damaged BMW was retired back in the pits.
It looked as though Ford were set for a prestigious victory at Le Mans until 10:40am when a broken con-rod put the last Capri out of the race. This handed the class win to Hezemans / Quester who, as the last Touring vehicle left in the race, were able to relax their pace.
The BMW eventually finished eleventh overall. Home favourite Matra took outright victory for the second year in succession.
1973 Nivelles (Belgian TCC)
The same weekend as Le Mans, the Belgian Touring Car Championship held a 15 lap Group 2 race in support of the Formula 2 event at Nivelles.
Two CSLs were in attendance: Brian Muir in his Alpina / Malcolm Gartlan machine and Alain Peltier for Precision Liegeoise.
However, there was no stopping Frank Gardner’s SCA Freight Camaro which romped home to an easy lights-to-flag win. Muir was equally comfortable in the runner’s up position, 2.4 seconds behind. Peltier’s CSL finished fifth.
1973 Nurburgring 24 Hours
A two-week gap then followed before the next major race: the non-championship Nurburgring 24 Hours which, for 1973, was organised to an experimental format.
To avoid the cars racing through the night (when most crashes occurred), the event comprised an eight hour heat from 5pm to 1am followed by an eight hour pause. Another eight hour heat took place on Sunday morning between 9am and 5pm.
During the break, teams were permitted a 90 minute window to make repairs.
The sole works attendee was the Capri of Hans Heyer / Klaus Fritzinger.
Among the 105 starters were also five CSLs: the Jagermeister Alpina entry for Niki Lauda / Hans-Peter Joisten, the Gartlan Alpina entry for Brian Muir / Han Akersloot and a Faltz-Alpina Essen machine for Rudiger Faltz and Helmut Kuhl.
Two privateers cars were also on hand: that of Walter Czadek / Werner Scheld and Harald Kull and Robert Leysieffer.
In the opening heat, Heyer initially led in his works Capri but Lauda soon took over at the head of the field. Muir had started dead last after a late change of plugs but managed to overtake 72 cars on the opening lap.
The opening heat ended with Lauda / Joisten in first, Muir / Akersloot second and the privateer Capri RS2600 of Waltraud Odenthal / Hibert Richarz third (a lap in arrears). The works Capri of Heyer / Fritzinger finished 38th after Heyer had crashed in the drizzle.
The second heat got underway at 9am with 77 cars still in the race.
Fritzinger / Heyer took a dominant win but their problems in heat one meant they were never in contention for the aggregate honours which went to Lauda / Joisten. Muir had more ignition trouble but managed to claim second.
After the Odenthal / Richarz Capri crashed out, the works Ford inherited third in the final classification.
Alpina’s one-two finish gave BMW their third win in the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
1973 NIvelles (Belgian TCC)
That same weekend, the Belgian Touring Car Championship held another race at Nivelles.
Only the CSLs of Alain Peltier (Precision Liegeoise) and Jean Xhenceval (Racing Team Marabout) were present and neither could do anything to stop another dominant win by Frank Gardner’s seven-litre Chevrolet Camaro.
Xhenceval claimed fourth and Peltier was fifth but both BMWs were lapped by the lead trio.
Homologation Updates
On July 1st 1973, BMW were granted homologation for a series of updates to the CSL.
These included front and rear spoilers, wing fences, modified fenders, a bridge spoiler at the back of the roof and much deeper front spoiler.
Mechanical enhancements included an improved sump shield, a four valve cylinder head, three-stage oil pump, steel crankshaft, magnesium-alloy water pump housing and a modified pump for the rear axle cooling system.
1973 Mainz-Finthen (DRM)
The same day as homologation was approved, BMW debuted the new car, dubbed the ‘Batmobile’, at round two of the DRM at Mainz-Finthen.
Hans Stuck was drafted in to drive the new 3.5-litre car as Harald Menzel had cut his hand.
BMW ran a 3.3-litre engine in practice when Stuck was disappointingly half a second behind Heyer’s pole-starting Capri.
BMW decided to try the untested 3.5-litre engine for the race. It was fitted some 20km away at a local BMW dealer and the car was driven to the track with minutes to spare.
With proceedings underway, a short fight ensued between Heyer and Stuck until the BMW’s water temperature got too high.
Stuck backed off but eventually retired when the water pump broke following the failure of the crankshaft damper.
Heyer ultimately took the win from the Kremer Porsche 911 RSR of Clemens Schickentanz.
1973 Nurburgring 6 Hours (ETCC)
No less than eight CSLs and nine Capris were on hand for the ETCC Nurburgring 6 Hours a week later.
For both BMW and Ford, it marked the first full scale attack of the year in the most important race for both manufacturers.
In the build up, all the talk was of Stuck’s time in a test session the previous week where, using the newly homologated wing kit, he had gone over ten seconds quicker than the official saloon car lap record set by Ford’s Jochen Mass.
BMW Motorsport took two CSLs: one for Amon / Stuck and the other for Quester / Hezemans / Menzel. They ran 3.3-litre engines while development was carried out on the bigger 24 valve motor.
Alpina entered Lauda / Joisten in the orange Jagermeister-backed example complete with 3.5-litre engine while Muir / Peltier drove the 3.3-litre Malcolm Gartlan machine.
Schnitzer had Brambilla / Pescarolo / Merzario in their 3.5-litre CSL which was rumoured to be pumping out nearly 400bhp.
Also present was the tatty ex-Schnitzer CSL entered by Herbert Muller for Walter Brun / Cox Kocher plus a couple of much slower privateers, neither of whom finished the race.
In qualifying, Lauda took pole for Alpina followed by the Amon / Stuck CSL. Works Fords were third, fourth and fifth followed by the second factory CSL of Hezemans / Quester / Menzel in sixth.
After Pescarolo span and deranged the rear suspension, Schnitzer’s CSL lined up seventh. Muir / Peltier were eighth in the Gartlan Alpina entry.
In the race, the BMWs of Lauda and Stuck ran first and second with the Capris of Mass and Stewart third and fourth. These four cars proceeded to build a gap from the rest.
Around the one hour mark, Brambilla crashed the Schnitzer CSL at Metzgesfeld and was out.
A chaotic couple of hours then ensued but, at the three hour mark, the Amon / Stuck works CSL led from the Larrousse / Fitzpatrick Capri. Muir / Peltier were third for Alpina, a Team Europa Mobel Capri was fourth, Quester / Hezemans / Menzel were fifth in their works CSL and Lauda / Joisten were sixth for Alpina.
Alpina then hit trouble: the Muir / Peltier CSL blew its engine and Joisten dinged the armco in the sister car. Joisten handed the Jagermeister CSL back to Lauda who, after repairs, rejoined five laps behind the leaders.
Despite being biffed by an errant Fiat, Stuck / Amon took the win.
The Mass / Larrousse / Fitzpatrick Capri crashed out late on and problems for other cars meant the sister BMW Motorsport CSL of Hezemans / Quester claimed second. A flying Lauda recovered to take third for Alpina.
1973 Silverstone (British TCC)
A week later, the BTCC held a 20 lap race in support of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Brian Muir’s BMW was the sole CSL representative and arrived with the recently homologated wing set up which considerably improved its handling.
Muir qualified second and, like pole-starter Gardner’s Camaro, lapped under the existing circuit record.
Muir took the race lead after Gardner got sideways at the start. Muir held on until lap two when the Camaro gobbled up the BMW. Muir’s efforts to keep up with the Camaro ended on the seventh lap when the BMW’s engine blew at Chapel.
1973 Diepholz (DRM)
The next day, round three of the DRM took place at Diepholz.
BMW Motorsport took a works car for Stuck, Alpina flew the Malcolm Gartlan CSL in from Silverstone for Lauda and Hubert Hahne entered a third example for Siegmund Ogrodowczyk.
Stuck took pole, Lauda started second and Ogrodowczyk began 13th.
In the 40 lap race, Stuck and Lauda exchanged the lead several times before Stuck went out with a broken track rod. Lauda followed suit a little later with gearbox trouble.
This left Rolf Stommelen’s Kremer Porsche 911 RSR to take the win from the works Capri of Hans Heyer.
Ogrodowczyk also failed to finish on a bad day for BMW.
1973 Spa 24 Hours (ETCC)
Round five of the ETCC was the Spa 24 Hours (July 21st and 22nd) which saw another mammoth entry of CSLs and Capris.
BMW Motorsport took a brace of 3.3-litre cars for Stuck / Amon and Quester / Hezemans.
Unfortunately for Alpina, Niki Lauda had been injured testing in the days prior so Muir and Joisten lined up in the lead Jagermeister entry which started the weekend with a 3.5-litre engine before switching to a 3.3.
BMW factory driver, Harald Menzel, was brought in to partner Alain Peltier in Muir’s usual Malcolm Gartlan-3.3-litre Alpina CSL. A third Alpina entry (an-ex-Schnitzer CSL) was run for Walter Brun and Cox Kocher.
There were also two privateer 3.3-litre CSLs wearing the latest bodywork additions: the smartly turned out Luigi / Marabout car of Jean Xhenceval / Willy Braillard and the rather more scruffily prepared Precision Liegeoise car for Hughes de Fierlant / Vincent Gaye.
Pole went to the works CSL of Stuck / Amon, Joisten / Muir were second for Alpina, Hezemans / Quester were third in the sister BMW Motorsport car and Peltier / Menzel fourth in the other Alpina team car.
Best of the Fords were the Capris of Mass / Fitzpatrick and Heyer / Koinigg in fifth and sixth respectively.
The Precision Liegeoise CSL lined up seventh, the Luigi / Marabout entry was eighth and the Brun / Kocher Alpina-run car started ninth.
The early stages of the race saw Muir establish himself in the lead followed by Amon, Quester and Peltier. Muir’s roof spoiler then tore off at Malmedy but he continued unaffected.
Two hours in, the Precision Liegeoise car retired with a holed piston.
The race then settled into a steady pattern with the Alpina BMWs battling for the lead against the works car of Quester / Hezemans while the best Ford (that of Mass / Fitzpatrick) was a lap behind. Amon was trying to catch up after an earlier delay for a seized strut.
Shortly after the six hour mark, the seventh placed CSL of Brun / Kocher retired with dropped valves caused by a broken valve spring. The Stuck / Amon works CSL then lost another 20 minutes with a broken valve spring.
Just before 11pm, Joisten was coming to the end of his stint for Alpina when he got off line lapping the Autodelta Alfa Romeo of Roger Dubos.
Joisten’s BMW went out of control on the fast right-hander at Malmedy and gradually spun around at very high speed. Dubos’ Alfa hit the BMW hard in the driver’s door which sent both cars into the barrier. They then rebounded onto the circuit and were hit by Claude Ballot-Lena’s Autodelta Alfa and Herb Vermeulen’s Opel Commodore.
Tragically, both Hans-Peter Joisten and Roger Dubos were killed instantly.
The field was held up for a time while a path was cleared.
Once the news of Joisten’s death came through, Alpina boss, Burkhardt Bovansiepen, withdrew his other car which Menzel had put into the lead around midnight.
This left the works CSL of Quester / Hezemans with a healthy lead.
The sister car of Stuck / Amon briefly ran second before it was retired with two broken valves.
After heavy rain overnight, dawn broke and the circuit slowly dried out.
The second place Capri of Mass / Fitzpatrick suffered damage from a blow out and, during the final stages, was running on five cylinders. Nevertheless, the drivers nursed it to the finish and claimed second.
The sole remaining CSL emerged victorious despite an off for Quester and a 21 minute stop for a new alternator cable.
1973 Zandvoort (NTK)
A week after the tragic events in Belgium, Toine Hezemans ran his Spa-winning CSL in the Dutch Touring Car Championship F1 support race at Zandvoort.
Entered by the Dutch BMW importer, Alimpo, the factory CSL stormed to pole 4.5 seconds clear of second place man Han Akersloot in his privateer Capri.
The 15 lap race seemed a foregone conclusion but Hezemans came in on lap two and retired with suspension damage.
Akersloot took the win from the Porsche 911 RSR of Nico Chiotakis.
Unfortunately the weekend was overshadowed by the death of Roger Williamson who fatally crashed his March 731 on lap seven of the Grand Prix.
1973 Nurburgring (DRM)
On August 5th, round four of the DRM took place with a five lap race at the Nurburgring in support of the German Grand Prix.
Menzel was back in the works CSL complete with 3.5-litre engine and took pole. Heyer had a nearly new Capri and started second.
In the race, Menzel took the lead and ultimately finished 30 seconds clear of Heyer. Third spot went to the Porsche 911 RSR of Gunther Steckkonig who was nearly a minute further back.
1973 Zandvoort 4 Hours (ETCC)
Round six of the ETCC took place on August 12th with a four hour race at Zandvoort.
BMW Motorsport took their usual pair of cars for Stuck / Amon and Quester / Hezemans, both of which had the latest 3.5-litre engines.
Schnitzer had a single 3.5-litre CSL for Henri Pescarolo / Harald Ertl while Alpina took a brace of 3.3-litre cars: the familiar Malcolm Gartlan example for Brian Muir / James Hunt and the ex-Schnitzer CSL for Walter Brun / Cox Kocher.
Muir and Hunt tried a 3.5-litre engine in practice but switched back to the 3.3-litre unit after they experienced overheating issues. The Schnitzer car broke its driveshaft in the final session.
Stuck / Amon started from pole, team-mates Quester / Hezemans were second and a brace of works Capris were third and fourth. The Schnitzer CSL qualified fifth, Muir / Hunt were sixth and the Brun / Kocher example eighth.
With the race underway, Mass took the lead and tried to break the BMWs with an unbelievable pace. However, he retired on lap 30 which meant the BMWs held first through fourth.
Although the Stuck / Amon car later rose to second (following an off earlier in the race), it retired after 90 laps with transmission trouble.
By this time, the Schnitzer machine had a lap advantage over the works CSL of Quester / Hezemans while Muir / Hunt were third for Alpina.
Unfortunately, Schnitzer were denied victory when a brake failure caused Pescarolo to crash out in the final half hour.
This left Hezemans / Quester with a handsome margin over Muir / Hunt who finished a lap down in second. Third went to the Fitzpatrick / Larrousse Capri. Brun / Kocher came home fifth in the sister Alpina entry.
1973 Kassel-Calden (DRM)
A week later (19th August), round five of the DRM was held at Kassel Calden.
Menzel took pole for the 40 lap race in his works CSL while Clemens Schickentanz lined up second in a Porsche 911 RSR. Heyer was third in the factory Capri.
Once again, Heyer couldn’t catch Menzel who finished 17 seconds up the road.
1973 Hockenheim (DRM)
Round six of the DRM followed the next weekend (August 26th) with a 20 lap race at Hockenheim.
This time there were three CSLs in attendance: the usual works car for Menzel, Walter Brun’s Alpina example and a privateer Squadra Caposcarico entry for Moritz Gerny.
For the first time, Ford ran two Capris in the DRM: one for Heyer and another for Fitzpatrick.
Menzel qualified on pole with Heyer second and the Schickentanz 911 RSR third. Fitzpatrick lined up sixth in the sister Capri, Brun was eleventh and Gerny twelfth.
Under pressure from Heyer in the race, Menzel over-revved his engine which caused it to overheat and ultimately expire.
Heyer came home six seconds ahead of Schickentanz with Steckkonig third in another 911 RSR. Brun finished fifth and Gerny was classified last in ninth.
1973 Brands Hatch (British TCC)
A day later, round seven of the British Touring Car Championship took place with a 25 lap race at Brands Hatch.
Brian Muir had skipped the previous event at Ingliston.
Muir qualified second in his Malcolm Gartlan Alpina CSL. As usual, Frank Gardner’s seven-litre Camaro was on pole.
The Camaro proved unbeatable on the short circuit and, when Muir’s CSL retired on lap six with a seized oil pump, Gardner was able to cruise home to another easy victory.
1973 Paul Ricard 6 Hours (ETCC)
The penultimate ETCC race of the year took place on September 2nd: the Paul Ricard 6 Hours.
BMW Motorsport had a brace of 3.5-litre CSLs which were unchanged since Zandvoort: one for Stuck / Amon and the other for Quester / Hezemans. The 3.5-litre engines were installed on Saturday along with new gearboxes for both cars.
Alpina arrived with a brand new orange Jagermeister-backed 3.5-litre car for James Hunt / Jacky Ickx plus the white and blue Gartlan Dealer Team BMW example of Brian Muir / John Miles. Muir and Miles initially ran with a rather tired 3.3-litre motor but this was switched to a fresh 3.5-litre unit on Saturday.
The Motul-backed Schnitzer CSL arrived early in the week for Pescarolo to do some testing. Wollek returned for his first race in the car since Mantorp. A new engine was fitted on Friday after a head gasket blew.
The two remaining CSLs were both Alpina-tuned: a rather uncompetitive 3-litre machine for Ogrodowczyk / Muller and a 3.5 for Brun / Kocher.
The three-car front row comprised Stuck / Amon on pole followed by Pescarolo / Wollek and Hezemans / Quester. Then came the Capris. Muir / Miles lined up seventh and Brun / Kocher eighth. The 3-litre CSL of Ogrodowczyk / Muller qualified 17th.
On lap 17, Ogrodowczyk coasted into the pits with a blown engine.
Miles then retired the white Alpina entry with a blown head gasket eight laps after taking over from Muir.
At the halfway mark, the Schnitzer car failed to show. 15 minutes later, Wollek returned to the pits on foot to report a broken crank.
During the third hour, the lead CSL of Stuck / Amon got stuck in fifth gear.
Team-mates Hezemans / Quester went on to win followed by the Alpina entry of runners up Ickx / Hunt. Amon / Stuck soldiered on to take third. Brun / Kocher claimed fourth. The best Capri was that of Mass / Stewart in fifth after a troubled race for Ford.
The result meant BMW clinched the ETCC Manufacturers title and Toine Hezemans became Drivers champion with one race still to go.
The same day as the ETCC race at Paul Ricard, the DRM organised a seven lap race at the Nurburgring and the Belgian Touring Car Championship held a 15 lap race at Zolder.
1973 Nurburgring (DRM)
Harald Menzel’s BMW Motorsport car was one of two CSLs to race at the Nurburgring. The other was a privateer entry for Graziano Cancian.
Menzel qualified on pole ahead of Hans Heyer’s works Capri.
Menzel led the field away while Cancian’s CSL failed to complete lap one.
Menzel ultimately proved uncatchable in the works CSL and eventually cruised home with a 38 second advantage over Heyer. Steckkonig’s Porsche RSR was another 23 seconds down the road in third.
1973 Zolder (Belgian TCC)
200km north west at Zolder, a 15 lap race took place as part of the Belgian championship.
The CSLs of Alain Peltier (Precision Liegeoise) and Jean Xhenceval (Luigi / Racing Team Marabout) lined up second and third. Pole went to the BP Racing Team Capri of Claude Bourgoignie.
When Bourgoignie dropped out with a broken water pump, the BMWs were unchallenged at the head of the field.
Xhenceval ultimately finished nearly half a minute ahead of Peltier as the Precision Liegeoise car’s engine failed in the dying moments. Nevertheless, Peltier still managed to cross the line in second.
1973 Norisring (DRM)
A week later, Harald Menzel’s works CSL was the only Division 1 BMW to attend the penultimate DRM event of the year at the Norisring (September 9th).
Menzel was unusually off the pace in qualifying and started down in fourth behind Gunther Steckkonig’s Porsche 911 RSR (pole), Hans Heyer’s Capri (second) and Reinhard Stenzels 911 RSR (third).
An early puncture dropped Menzel out of contention in the race before electrical trouble forced him to retire.
Heyer was lucky to win the 45 lap contest after Stenzel retired from the lead with a broken clutch.
1973 Zolder (Belgian TCC)
On September 16th, Zolder hosted a 25 lap Belgian Touring Car Championship race and, although Alain Peltier was absent, a second CSL in the shape of Siegmund Ogrodowczyk’s Alpina entry was on hand in addition to the usual Luigi / Marabout entry of Jean Xhenceval.
The Capris seemed easier to handle in the greasy conditions. Fritzinger passed Xhenceval for second and that was more or less it. Xhenceval finished third and Ogrdowczyk fourth.
1973 Silverstone Tourist Trophy (ETCC)
The final ETCC race of the year was the RAC Tourist Trophy at Silverstone on September 23rd.
The event comprised a brace of two hour heats with overall positions decided on aggregate.
BMW had already clinched the championship but sent two works 3.5-litre CSLs anyway: one for Stuck (who would drive both heats) and another to be shared by Hezemans / Quester.
16-inch wheels were fitted to these for the first time.
Alpina’s 3.5-litre Jagermeister CSL was entered for Harald Ertl and Derek Bell. There was also the Gartlan-Alpina 3.5-litre car for Brian Muir who would drive solo. However, during the wet qualifying session, Muir span at Copse, hit a bank and damaged the right-hand front corner. His car was nevertheless repaired in time to make the grid.
Also present were two Alpina-entered 3.3-litre CSLs for Cox Kocher and Siegmund Ogrodowczyk / Siegfried Muller.
In addition to the works Fords, competition was expected from Frank Gardner’s SCA Camaro which had undergone a significant amount of work to make it a contender for the long-distance race.
The cars lined up for heat one with Stuck on pole followed by Gardner’s Camaro and the CSLs of Ertl and Hezemans. The Capris of Glemser and Rouse were fifth and sixth followed by Muir and then two more Capris (Mass and Fitzpatrick). Kocher qualified in 15th and Muller was 18th.
In the early stages of the race, Muir hit a cone which knocked his front spoiler off. He pitted to have the rear wing removed to re-balance the aerodynamics which lost him a couple of laps.
The works BMWs of Hezemans and Stuck both had tyre problems and Stuck later retired his example with clutch failure.
At three quarter distance, the Siegfried Muller CSL, which had progressed up the leaderboard to fifth, retired with broken valve gear.
Ertl ultimately took the win for Alpina. Mass went passed Fitzpatrick for second and Hezemans was fourth in the sole remaining works CSL. However, the flag came out precisely at the two hour mark by which time Ertl had gone across the start line but Mass had not. This rather unfairly gave Alpina a lap advantage for the second heat.
After a troubled race, Brian Muir finished ninth, eight laps behind Ertl.
Muir was then a late starter for heat two after changing an oil cooler. He began half a lap behind the rest of the field. Stuck, Glemser and Muller / Ogrodowczyk did not start heat two.
Dieter Quester looked set to win the heat in his works CSL but ran out of fuel on the penultimate lap which allowed Bell through to take victory. Muir finished second and Kocher was third while Quester had covered sufficient distance to claim fourth ahead of Mass whose Ford had lost much time in the pits early on.
Bell / Ertl claimed the aggregate honours, Mass was second, Muir third and Kocher seventh. Neither of the works CSLs figured in the final classification.
1973 Zandvoort (NTK)
On September 30th, Toine Hezemans was a surprise entry in the 15 lap Dutch Touring Car Championship race at Zandvoort. Driving Rob Slotemaker’s 1972 car (updated with CSL wings and suspension), Hezemans piloted the Alimpo-entered car to pole and an easy win.
1973 Sauerland Hillclimb (DRM)
The DRM finale then followed a week later on October 7th. It was held at the 3.5-mile Sauerland Hillclimb in North Rhine-Westphalia.
While the Ford and Porsche teams all turned up with tyre warmers, BMW Motorsport did not which put Menzel at an immediate disadvantage.
Three other CSLs also attended the event: Harald Menzel drove a Jagermeister entry while Siegfried Muller and Hans-Lothar Koch had privateer machines.
After two runs up the twisty course, Reinhard Stenzel’s Fox Racing Team 911 RSR pipped the Kremer RSR of Paul Keller to victory by five seconds. Menzel came home fifth overall and third in the Division 1 class while Heyer’s Capri was down in seventh.
As for the other CSLs, Ertl was 22nd, Muller 25th and Koch 26th.
Unfortunately for Stenzel, his winning Porsche was stolen from the paddock shortly afterwards.
Dieter Glemser finished the season as DRM champion while Heyer was second, Dieter Basche third and Menzel fourth.
1973 Nivelles 24 Hours (Belgian TCC)
On October 13th and 14th, the Belgian Touring Car Championship held a 24 Hour end-of-season event at Nivelles. However, rather than an actual 24 hour race, it comprised two three hour contests in the space of 24 hours (one on Saturday morning and one on Sunday morning).
A one or two driver line up was permitted.
The usual Belgian entries of Luigi / Racing Team Marabout and Precision Liegeoise were on hand for Jean Xhenceval / Willy Braillard and Vincent Gaye respectively.
Malcolm Gartlan’s Alpina-prepared CSL was also present for Jacky Ickx / Brian Muir. Alain Peltier and Harald Ertl shared a Schnitzer entry.
Claude Bourgoignie’s Capri took pole while the Ickx / Muir and Xhenceval / Braillard BMWs set exactly the same lap times. Klaus Fritzinger’s Capri was fourth on the grid followed by Gaye’s Precision Liegeoise CSL and the Peltier / Ertl Schnitzer machine in sixth.
Ickx’s Alpina CSL held the lead until a loose differential forced him to retire in the pits.
Meanwhile, Peltier had climbed to second in the Schnitzer machine. He and Ertl inherited the lead for Schnitzer when Bourgoignie retired with a broken gearbox, but then began to fall back. They eventually finished fourth while Xhenceval / Braillard took the win in their Luigi CSL from Andy Rouse / Vince Woodman and Yvette Fontaine (both in Escort RS 1600s).
Race two followed a similar pattern with the favourites dropping out.
Peltier / Ertl looked set for victory; their Schnitzer CSL had a two lap lead when the propshaft broke. They lost ten minutes in the pits and finished fifth.
Ickx went out early with engine trouble in the Alpina CSL shortly after Bourgoignie’s Capri stopped with broken front suspension.
Xhenceval / Braillard won from Rouse / Woodman for the second time but, on this occasion, Hughes de Fierlant / Vincent Gaye were third.
Xhenceval / Braillard were thus declared aggregate winners by 3km from Woodman / Rouse. Yvette Fontaine was another 38km back in third and Peltier / Ertl placed fourth 48km behind the winners.
Julien Vernaeve was declared Belgian champion in his Group 2 Mini Cooper S.
1973 Brands Hatch (British TCC)
For 1974, the British Touring Car Championship would switch to Group 1 regulations so the 1973 season finale at Brands Hatch on October 21st was a last hurrah for the exciting Group 2 machines.
As usual, Frank Gardner’s Camaro was on pole for the 20 lap race while Muir was two tenths of a second behind in his 3.5-litre Gartlan / Alpina CSL.
Muir got sideways at the start but recovered and went passed Gardner’s spinning Camaro on lap twelve. Although the BMW driver only had fourth and fifth gears available, he clinched a famous victory and crossed the line 14 seconds ahead of Rouse.
Gardner came home third and took the 1973 British title.
1973 Kyalami 9 Hours
The final appearance for CSLs in 1973 came at the Kyalami 9 Hour race on November 3rd (the opening event of the four-race Springbok series).
South Africa was an important market for BMW so the works team flew a brand new 3.5-litre CSL out for Stuck / Ickx.
Originally built to accept the new 24 valve engine, this was unfortunately not ready in time because of overheating problems.
To compensate for the additional weight of the 24 valve engine, the battery, uprated brake system pressure pump and bigger oil tank were moved to the back of the car. The spring rates had also been altered to suit. By using aluminium instead of steel and drilling many parts for lightness, overall weight was unchanged.
In qualifying, both drivers lapped at an average speed of over 100mph. This was the first time such a feat had been achieved by a saloon car at Kyalami. Stuck / Ickx started tenth and were easily quickest of the touring cars in attendance.
Ickx had things his own way in the race as the expected Chevrolet Firenza V8 challenge proved a disappointment.
Just a few laps after taking over from Ickx, Stuck made a dramatic entry into the pits; he came in on three wheels with an exposed brake disc sending out a shower of sparks. A retaining bolt had broken and the complete suspension assembly was changed.
Despite a lengthy delay, the CSL romped home to victory in the saloon class with a seventh place finish overall.
Summary
The 1973 season had been a great success for BMW Motorsport. However, as a result of the Oil Crisis caused by instability in the Middle East, BMW made the late decision to run a dramatically reduced programme in 1974.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: BMW - https://www.bmw.com
