BMW’s Motorsport division has produced icons for more than five decades, but every story has a beginning … and that beginning is now for sale. Known internally as E9/R1, this machine is the very first car ever built by BMW Motorsport GmbH in 1972, making it the original “M car” and one of the most historically significant BMW competition vehicles in existence.
Born during a period when privateer outfits like Alpina and Schnitzer were flying the BMW flag on track, the creation of a factory Motorsport arm was driven by then–sales boss Bob Lutz. He brought in former Porsche works driver Jochen Neerpasch and Ford technical ace Martin Braungart to establish a dedicated competition programme. Their first task was building this very car: chassis E9/R1, the first of just 21 factory CSL racers and the development platform that shaped BMW’s racing future.
Constructed over the winter of 1972–73, E9/R1 served as the test bed for what would become the legendary “Batmobile” aero kit. Hans Stuck and Harald Menzel spent the early months of 1973 pounding around Paul Ricard and Hockenheim, refining the package ahead of its homologation that summer. Once legal, BMW’s engineers famously worked overnight to bolt the new aero and 3.5-litre engine onto the cars just hours before race day, and E9/R1 soon delivered outright victories at the Nürburgring, Kassel-Calden and the Eifelpokalrennen.
After its European campaign, the car headed to IMSA with Hurtig Team Libra before eventually retiring to private ownership. Today, following a meticulous, originality-focused restoration and fresh from winning ‘Most Iconic Car’ at Salon Privé 2025, E9/R1 is being offered publicly for the first time through Dylan Miles in Kent.
