BMW's Coming to America

Amid a true modern renaissance for global sportscar racing, BMW of North America celebrated its 50th birthday earlier this year. In honor of this Golden Anniversary, I wanted to reflect on this iconic partnership formed in a time of chaos and uncertainty within the automotive industry.

“Hans, I want you to go out and break the Porsches.”

The mid-70’s were a wild and tumultuous time in the motorsports and automotive industries. The Energy Crisis came dead in the middle of a dark, transitional time for American auto makers, while some of the world’s most brilliant and creative work was still yet to be done overseas in Europe and Japan. 1974 saw racing series and event organizers desperately trying to keep events on the calendar as some of the world’s most popular sports car and touring car races were cancelled in light of the worsening global situation. 

As the global crisis occurred, BMW and Ford were in the middle of their battle for European Touring Car supremacy. Ironically enough, both manufacturers just so happened to release pinnacle, more powerful, petrol-guzzling 24-valve engines for their ETCC competitors just as the fuel crisis began to loom. BMW would transplant its new engine into their gorgeous E9 CSL model while Ford built a new chassis for their highly competitive Capri. Both would punch above their weight throughout the early 70s, shaming 911s all over the European continent as long as the governments and energy rationing laws would allow them to. Unfortunately, this legendary factory feud would be cut short as almost all factory racing teams pulled out of motorsports altogether to help the brands weather the socio-economic storm in the most conservative way possible. All but one, that is. Instead of taking the easy way out, BMW decided to head for open waters (literally) and compete with their updated CSL in America for the first time as a factory team. They would enter the IMSA Sportscar Championship to battle against American muscle and European brands they were already familiar with, but that wasn’t all. At a time when most automakers couldn’t decide whether or not to hold back the release of their newest models, BMW would double down and open up shop for big business, planting their flag as BMW North America just days before competing in the 1975 Sebring 12 Hour. 

Their method of taking the US by storm was more of a “lads on tour” pub tale than it was a formal business success story. BMW Motorsport Boss Jochen Neerpasch recalls, “We had to share the same apartment with our eleven mechanics and one engineer. Sometimes, even the racecar drivers had to get behind the wheel of the trucks or motorhomes, because there weren’t enough hands to go around. It was an adventure.”

They arrived stateside in January of 1975 to make their debut at the Daytona 24 Hours, a race that is always full of legendary cars and drivers. They would compete against as many, if not more, 911s than they had back in Europe, and they would also be introduced to American muscle and pony cars as competition for the first time. The contrast between all of the GTO cars on the grid was a great source of entertainment, even on a power-friendly track like Daytona. Both BMWs showed great pace but struggled to last the full 24 hours. One car threw a rod after 274 laps while the other suffered a driveshaft failure after being black flagged for a defective brake light. Ultimately their American debut in Daytona would serve as more of a shakedown and the crew would head back to the workshop to learn from the mishaps and prepare for Sebring accordingly.

Meanwhile, on the business side of things, BMW of North America was officially open for business on the Monday leading up to the Sebring 12-hour, just as enthusiasts started packing their campers and making their way down south for the legendary event. On March 15th, 1975, they took over operations from what was previously their leading American Importer, the Hoffman Motor Corporation in Montvale, New Jersey. The details of the deal made between the two are a bit unclear, however it would result in BMW starting their own dealer network and distributing cars and parts nationwide on a much larger scale than before. This marked the start of a new era for the brand in the U.S. and laid the foundation for what would become a nationwide business and one of the most popular imported brands in the country. 

Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, the ragtag crew of German and European troubadours was ready to get to work. Sebring International Raceway was reopened for its flagship event for  the first time since the Energy Crisis had hit. The track was in a state of disrepair due to the lack of running over the previous year, so with lots of dust to be kicked around, teams, drivers, and fans flocked to the raceway in droves.  

Their competition for the weekend was similar to what they had seen in Daytona. Agile 911s and monstrous American Muscle cars populate the stacked GTO class. Their driver lineup included Hans Stuck, Ronnie Peterson, and Brian Redman, accompanied by North American allies Sam Posey and Allan Moffat. Stuck put the car on pole ahead of the Corvettes and a fleet of 911s. As he climbed into the car to start the race, BMW Motorsport boss Jochen Neerpasch made his intentions clear by stating, “Hans, I want you to go out and break the Porsches”. 

That’s not EXACTLY how it went…In fact, 1 of the 2 BMWs was forced to retire with engine failure. However, at this point, all 4 drivers contributed to finishing the race in the one remaining car, and BMW managed to finish 2 laps ahead of 4 GTO Carreras and one NART Ferrari 365 BB. They had done it. They had secured their first victory on American soil. From here on out, they would never be mistaken for “British Motor Works” again. Instead of being an oddball, butt of the joke, people would now go on to aspire to owning a true world beating manufacturer with proper racing pedigree. Only in these cars could you also fit your family and luggage. 

This was the beginning of a dream for a certain type of enthusiast. This was the start of kids yanking down the saloon car Hot Wheels instead of the sleek exotic sportscars at the drug store. This was the family sedan, able to keep up with 911s, Mustangs, and Camaros on Dad’s Friday evening drive home from the office. This was grainy, black and white images from imported magazines coming to life - and then having that same car available to test drive at a dealership near you. BMW had officially arrived in the United States.

The epilogue is evident just by looking outside. BMW models can be seen just about everywhere within the US, as well as on racetracks run by everyone from the casual racing enthusiast receiving his performance driving education to factory racing teams within the top classes of sports car, endurance, and touring car racing. BMW and their relationship with America is as iconic as they come, and to think it was all born out of a true racer's mentality to compete, despite chaotic times experienced 50 years ago.