One to Buy: ex-Hans Joachim Stuck 1974 BMW E9 3.0 CSL 'Batmobile' (3.2)
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Of the myriad top flight drivers employed by BMW Motorsport for the CSL racing programme, none was more closely associated with the ‘Batmobile’s on-track success than Hans-Joachim Stuck.
Recruited from bitter rivals Ford (with whom he had won what the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft in 1972), Stuck went on to have appalling luck during his maiden 1973 season in the CSL, but nevertheless took a famous victory alongside Chris Amon at the most important European Touring Car Championship race for German manufacturers: the Nurburgring 6 Hours.
Stuck had more luck with the CSL in 1974 and ‘75 when he picked up wins in the ETCC, DRM and IMSA series. The German ace continued to race for BMW Motorsport into 1976, by which time he was also driving for the Martini-backed Brabham team in Formula 1.
As part of his contract with BMW Motorsport, Hans-Joachim Stuck was given a road-going BMW 3.0 CSL in 1974 which is set to go under the hammer at Bonhams’ Zoute sale on October 6th.
No ordinary CSL, chassis 4355031 was one of the fabled 3.2-litre ‘Batmobiles’ two batches of which were assembled between July and November of 1973 (110 cars built) and January 1974 until October 1975 (57 built).
Having been dispatched to BMW Motorsport as a test car on July 11th 1974, the car was soon allocated to Stuck, after which it was owned by his close friend, West German Olympic skier, Christian Neureuther who retained it until 1978.
A rare opportunity to buy a works-owned 3.2-litre engined second series CSL.
