BMW 320i Turbo Mclaren North America 250 Miles Daytona Finale IMSA 1979

The ultimate weapon

In 1977, BMW was on its way into the turbo age, especially with regard to Formula 1. The new BMW 320 Group 5 was the legitimate successor to the successful 3.5 CSL Coupes in the American IMSA series. BMW initially built two works cars for the USA, whose turbo engines came from McLaren Engines in Livonia, Michigan. But early on the new cars had no chance against the mighty Porsche 935. With the third E21-003 chassis, they therefore followed up with an extreme lightweight version. Aerodynamically improved and 150 kg lighter, the BMW 320 Turbo promised to be the ultimate weapon now.

But in 1978, the new car was still no match for Porsche. The typical turbo lag of the engine and problems with durability prevented greater success. It was only when McLaren USA got the highly stressed turbo engines running reliably that David Hobbs had a real chance in the battle for IMSA victories in 1979. After the first podium finishes in the short 100-mile races, Derek Bell and David Hobbs showed at the 500 Miles of Road America at Elkhart Lake that the BMW could now also win endurance races. The Winston 250 Daytona Finale of 1979 was unfortunately the last appearance, as BMW concentrated on Formula 1.