For its big return, BMW has chosen one of its sports roadsters, the M8, to take on Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche and Ford on the track. This strategy of an immediate link between the road and the track is one of the cornerstones of the Bavarian manufacturer's committment to competition, true since its first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the end of the 1930s.

BMW 328 Touring, the first triumph - Produced from 1936 to 1940 and equipped with a a 6-cylinder 1,971 cm3 in-line engine, it made it to the top 5 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1939 thanks to Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe and Hans Wenscher, fifth overall and winners in the two-liter class.

BMW 3.0 CSL, the first "Art Car" - After the appearance of the 3.0 CS and 3.0 CSi models in 1971, BMW released a new version called the 3.0 CSL the following year. Destined for the European Touring Car Championship, which it soon dominated, it made history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans two-fold. In addition to four class victories, the 3.0 CSL was the first BMW "Art Car" decorated by American painters Alexander Calder (1975) and Frank Stella (1976).

BMW M1, M as in Motorsport - The M1 found its origins in a 1972 style study, revived in 1977 when BMW Motorsport was founded by its first leader, former journalist and driver Jochen Neerpasch (Jacky Ickx competed at his side for his first 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966). The work of Italian car body designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, it was powered by a 6-cylinder 3.4-liter rear in-line engine. It became the first BMW to boast the famous M, the symbol of the marque's sporting line, embodied namely by the M3, up until the M8 that will participate this year in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2018/2019 Super Season of the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). Produced from 1978 to 1981, the M1 achieved glory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979, with a sixth place finish for the "Art Car" decorated by Andy Warhol. Though BMW shut down production of the M1 in 1981, the car was seen at Le Mans until 1986.

McLaren F1, the Anglo-German exception - At the 1992 Grand Prix of Monaco, McLaren unveiled its first high performance road sportster, christened the F1. In addition to the unique design of its cockpit (three front seats with the driving position shifted forward at the center seat), it was equipped with a 6-liter V12 engine (rear center position) specially designed for the occasion by BMW. Conceptualized by Gordon Murray, one of the most imaginative engineers in the history of Formula 1, the McLaren F1 drew so much interest that seven of the cars were entered in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, under the moniker F1 GTR. To everyone's surprise, it won the race for its very first participation, in the hands of French driver Yannick Dalmas, the Finn J.J. Lehto and Japanese driver Masanori Sekiya. BMW Motorsport decided to pin its future hopes on the F1 GTR, first in 1996 through one of its partner teams, Team Bigazzi, with as result eighth place for the driver line-up Johnny Cecotto-Nelson Piquet, Sr.-Danny Sullivan, then in 1997 under its own banner with third place for Kox-Ravaglia-Helary.

"We immediately saw the McLaren F1 GTR as a BMW, as a prototype, a road sportster and a sporting car," explains Mario Theissen, Director of BMW Motorsport from 1999 to 2011. The McLaren F1 was, after the M1, the second supercar with which BMW was involved, and for us its engine was a point of reference." It would lead the Bavarian marque to the top of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1999...another story to discover in the next installment in this series.

 

Click below for the first installment in this series about BMW's history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans:

BMW at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1) - Ten key dates