How a Sebring win 50 years ago transformed BMW

The timing could not have been more fortuitous. Fifty years ago, BMW was aiming to become a serious player in the US market, and after a years-long legal battle with European car-dealer Max Hoffman, it was finally allowed to establish itself as an importer. BMW North America was officially founded March 15, 1975 — and less than a week later, BMW Motorsport won the 12 Hours of Sebring. It remains one of the automaker’s most important victories.

BMW Motorsport company was founded in 1972 and quickly became very successful in European touring car racing. But by the mid-70s, it had to look abroad to continue racing. “The reason we came [to America] is because of the energy crisis in Europe,” recalls Jochen Neerpasch, the founder of BMW Motorsport, in an interview with Motorsport.com. “Motorsport was not the tool to sell cars at the time. [In Germany,] we had a general speed limit, we weren’t allowed to drive on Sundays, so motorsport was counterproductive.”

The BMW board nearly killed off all factory racing, but Neerpasch and the rest convinced them there was an opportunity in America. Despite the energy crisis, racing never really stopped in the US, and success on track could help remake BMW’s image in this enormous market.

Neerpasch with one of his "Bavarian Motor Works" cars in 1975 (Photo by: BMW)

Neerpasch says that at the time, a lot of Americans thought BMW stood for “British Motor Works.” Which is why when BMW turned up at the 1975 Daytona 24 Hours with two 3.0 CSLs with Bavarian Motor Works typed out on their windshield stickers.

“We had no idea about the American motorsports scene,” Neerpasch says. “The only thing we did know is that the Porsches, the 911s, we were competitive with these cars in Europe. So we thought ‘If we can beat the Porsches in Europe, we must be ok for the States.’”

BMW Motorsport rented space from the NASCAR-famous Allison Brothers in Hueytown, Alabama, and apparently some of the 11 mechanics and 1 engineer took up the Allison’s “Alabama Gang” moniker. “It was an adventure for us,” Neerpasch says with a laugh. “We lived there in a house, the whole team together, we cooked together, this was an adventure.”

The Daytona debut wasn’t the success BMW hoped for. Despite qualifying in 2nd and 3rd only to a Greenwood Corvette, water in the fuel supply caused engine issues for the BMWs and other competitors. The #25 of Ronnie Peterson and Brian Redman was out after just 29 laps, and though the #24 of Hans-Joachim Stuck and Sam Posey ran well into the night, it only made it 274 laps. Victory went to Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood in their #59 Brumos Porsche 911 RSR.

BMW didn’t just simply bring its 3.0 CSLs from Europe. In Alabama, the team developed the cars, adding stiffness, mechanical grip, and power, all while chasing reliability. And despite the failure at Daytona, Neerpasch says the team left the race confident. They knew they had the pace to win.

Sebring was next up on the IMSA Camel GT Challenge schedule, and it was the perfect shot at redemption. This time, it was the #24 car that was struck by reliability problems first, a shame after Stuck put it on pole by a second-and-a-half over the Gregg/Haywood #59 Porsche. Australian Allan Moffat subbed for Peterson in the #25, but it was Redman who did most of the driving, 7 out of 12 hours apparently. Stuck and Posey pitched in after their car broke, and the foursome took the checkered three laps ahead of the nearest Porsche.

“We knew how racing is for marketing the brand, and in Sebring we knew that we were competitive and able to do a good job… I think for us it was, let's say, a big moment to be sure. That we could successfully continue,” Neerpasch says “We did not win all the races, we did lose races, but we were competitive, and that was very important.”

Neerpasch talking with Redman at a race (Photo by: BMW)

In fact, BMW was easily the closest competitor to the well-established Porsche teams. This was a huge step in BMW’s transformation as a plucky little Bavarian concern going up against the big dogs to becoming one of the big dogs itself. And the race victories gave BMW more marketing opportunities. Those 3.0 CSLs with their distinctive Bavarian blue, purple, and red stripes turned into icons.

The proof is in the numbers. BMW of North America sold a little under 20,000 cars in 1975; by 1986, it sold over 96,000. Last year, the BMW brand sold 371,346 cars in the US. Would that have been possible had it not won Sebring 50 years ago?