Facts
-
Manufacturer
BMW Motorsport -
Team
BMW Team Schnitzer -
Driver
Bruno Spengler -
Engine
BMW P66, 4.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 -
Power
480 PS approx. -
Gearbox
Sequential 6-speed gearbox with paddle shifters -
Achievements
2012 DTM Drivers’ Championship, Team title for BMW Team Schnitzer and Manufacturers’ title for BMW
BMW returned to the DTM in 2012 after an almost 20-year absence and promptly claimed the drivers’ title. Bruno Spengler posted four race wins with his matt black BMW Bank M3 DTM and took victory in the Hockenheim season finale. And now here at the Red Bull Ring Classics, BMW Classic are back out on track with the exact, same car, the BMW M3 DTM in which Spengler won the title in 2012.
The vehicle
The BMW M3 DTM drew on the design language of the contemporaneous M3 Coupé but was technically an out-and-out racing prototype. It featured a specially developed racing chassis based on a CFRP monocoque with integral safety structures (including carbon crash elements) and sophisticated aerodynamics. Power came from a naturally aspirated four-litre V8 producing around 480 horsepower. Gear changes were made via a sequential six-speed gearbox with paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
The driver
Having joined BMW Team Schnitzer in 2012, Bruno Spengler quickly established himself as a key figure in BMW’s comeback. He secured the brand’s first DTM victory since 1992 in what was only the second race of the season at the Lausitzring. Spengler went into the finale at Hockenheim still trailing championship leader Gary Paffett, but with his fourth win of the campaign, he turned the tables and secured his maiden DTM title.
Fun fact
BMW didn’t have to wait long for a first victory following their return to the DTM, as Bruno Spengler took a win at the Lausitzring in what was only the second race. The period of time that had elapsed since BMW’s last victory in 1992 and this success was precisely 19 years, six months and 25 days.
The story behind the car
BMW began preparing for a return to the DTM in 2010. The new M3 DTM was unveiled in July 2011 and homologated on 1st March 2012. Three BMW teams fielded six cars in total during the season.
Spengler’s matt black BMW Bank M3 DTM became the championship-winning car of 2012 in the manufacturer’s comeback season. Four victories ensured his drivers’ title win, and what’s more, BMW Team Schnitzer won the team championship and BMW the manufacturers’ championship. And so, BMW were immediately able to sweep the board on their return, taking all three DTM titles.
The legend
- Comeback with titles: BMW returned to contest the DTM in 2012 after an almost 20-year absence and straightaway won the Drivers’, Team and Manufacturers’ titles.
- M3 in race trim: Underneath the M3’s familiar design cues lurks a discrete DTM prototype with a CFRP monocoque and sophisticated racing technology.
- The championship-winning car: With four wins to its credit during the season, Spengler’s BMW Bank M3 DTM was the most successful car of BMW’s 2012 comeback year.