Put Out the Bat Signal: 1972 BMW 3.5L CSL Batmobile For Sale
Image: Fiskens
Sporting a silhouette we’ll not forget, this 1972 BMW 3.5L CSL Batmobile is in race-ready condition, with a grand period career behind it, and is up for sale at Fiskens.
This 1972 BMW 3.5L CSL Batmobile began its life as a CS race car run by Faltz-Alpina Racing, and was upgraded to full Batmobile specs through its long racing career.
While under the Faltz-Alpina Racing Team banner in 1972, the car competed in German and European championship races. Later in the year it was sold to Josef Benedens, who had it upgraded to Group 2 CSL Batmobile Specification by Manfred Nicht.
He continued racing it in the German/European Championship through to 1975, selling it to German racer Peter Herk. Herk continued to develop the car, upgrading it to Group 5 specs and and racing it alongside a few other drivers in the American IMSA series. Once its period career concluded, he continued to race it in historic events through the ’80s and ’90s.
The naughties saw the car return to Europe, where it was taken to QM Engineering in the United Kingdom. At this point it was decided to return the car to Group 2 specifications so that it could run competitively in Europe.
Various sections of the body shell, including the front panel, wings and sections of the boot floor had been removed or modified for Group 5 regulations, so they were replaced. The body shell was stripped back to metal, revealing its many liveries along the way, and its new owner decided to return the car to its ’73/74 livery.
In terms of mechanicals, the engine, gearbox and differential were completely rebuilt and suspension, brakes and fluid lines were replaced. All of the major bits were kept for spares or historical significance.
At this point it was ready to race again, and it was taken to historic events in the United Kingdom.
The current owner purchased the car in 2010, sending it to Schirmer Race Engineering in Germany for further work, including another rebuild of the engine.
It’s currently in race-ready condition, with just a few hours on the engine, and is ready for the next chapter in its racing career. It’s sold with spares, its old Group 5 bodywork, HTP papers and a full-to-bursting history file with photos, documentation, period stickers and results.
BMW’s 3.5L CSL in ‘Batmobile’ configuration is an icon of the sport, and we hope to see this particularly nice one return to its home on the track soon! For more details head to Fiskens’ website here.
Images via Fiskens
