The 1976 BMW #1 BMW 3.0 CSL - abbreviated as "#1 3.0 CSL '76" - is an ETCC touring car by BMW.
It appears in Forza Motorsport (2023) since Update 16.
Synopsis[]
Built for Group 2 touring car regulations, the 3.0 CSL would replace the 2002 and the 2800 CS in the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). Compared to its predecessors, the CSL was able to use a much larger engine due to competing in the unlimited over three liter category, with the car eventually ending up with a 3.5L I6 producing almost 450 hp (336 kW).[1]
The #1, competing under Luigi Racing, took part in the 1976 ETCC season in Division 4, driven mostly by Jean Xhenceval and Pierre Dieudonné, with Hans-Joachim Stuck, Martino Finotto, and Hughes de Fierlant joining the duo for some of the races during the season. The car would be the dominant one during the season, taking 5 wins and a 2nd place podium finish, only losing out on the win due to being beat by one of its sister cars driven by de Fierlant and Patrick Nève. The only negative point of the season was a 3 race stretch where the car retired twice due to engine issues and then was kept off the podium due to an Alfa Romeo sweep. Xhenceval and Dieudonné would both end up claiming the drivers' championship, giving BMW their third drivers' title in 4 years. BMW would also take a dominant win in the manufacturers' championship for Division 4 due to consistently finishing while their competition did not.[2]
The car would be sold to Finotto before the 1977 season but would still run under the Luigi racing banner. The car would also move up to the newly created Division 5, with Finotto joined by Carlo Facetti for most of the rounds. Umberto Grano would join the two for the first 3 races of the season, while Manfred Mohr would step in for Facetti during the third round at the Salzburgring due to the latter driving a different car in the race. While the #1 would still manage 4 wins and a 2nd and 3rd place each throughout the season, it would not be the dominant CSL during the season. That would instead fall to one of the Alpina team's cars, which won 5 races and had one 2nd place finish behind the #1, allowing its main driver Dieter Quester to take the drivers' championship title from Facetti by only 6 points. Facetti would end up in a 3 way tie for second but would take it due to his win count, while Finotto would finish 5th due to Facetti achieving a 3rd place finish and the #1 retiring at the Salzburgring. BMW would once again take a dominant victory in the manufacturers' championship due to consistently finishing, while their only other competition, Jaguar, did not.[3]
After only one year of use, Finotto would sell the car to Alessandro Fracastoro who would compete the car in Italian touring car events and hill climbs until 1981, although it would also make a few more appearances in the ETCC. It would then sit in a barn for over a decade before being bought and restored by a private collector who would race it in hill climb and vintage races. The car would eventually be sold to another private collector who restored the car to its 1976 livery.[4]
The CSL in general would race up until the end of the 1979 season, winning another 2 drivers' championships, giving BMW 6 wins in 7 years. It would be replaced by the first generation 3 Series for the 1980 season, although this transition had already started 3 season earlier in 1977.
Variants[]
It is featured in the Forza series in three livery variants:
- 1976 BMW #1 BMW 3.0 CSL (Forza Motorsport (2023) since Update 16 only)
- 1975 BMW #25 BMW Motorsport 3.0 CSL (Forza Motorsport 6 and all subsequent Motorsport titles)
- 1975 BMW #93 Hervé Poulain 3.0 CSL (Forza Motorsport 6 only)
Statistics[]
|
Speed 4.3 Braking 5.2
Handling 5.3
Acceleration 5.5
|
S 739 |
|---|---|---|
Unlock Requirements
| ||
Performance & Division
Division: GTX Sportscars
Value: 223,000 CR
Speed:
Top Speed: 176.7 mph (284.3 km/h)
1/4 Mile: 11.150 secs.
Acceleration:
0-60 mph (0-97 km/h): 3.300 secs.
0-100 mph (0-161 km/h): 7.200 secs.
Braking:
60-0 mph (97-0 km/h): 88.7 ft (27 m) 100-0 mph (161-0 km/h): 226.2 ft (68.9 m)
Lateral Gs:
60 mph (97 km/h): 1.35 g
120 mph (193 km/h): 1.46 g | ||
Conversions[]
- No conversions available.
Trivia[]
- In Forza Motorsport (2023), prior to Update 21, it was valued at 280,000 CR.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
References[]
- ↑ "Guide: BMW E9 CSL Gr.2 / 73" . Supercar Nostalgia . Retrieved 07-16-2025.
- ↑ "1976 ETCC Championship Table" . touringcarracing.net . Retrieved 07-16-2025.
- ↑ "1977 ETCC Championship Table" . touringcarracing.net . Retrieved 07-16-2025.
- ↑ "Calendar Car Details" . e9coupe.com . Retrieved 07-16-2025.