SEMA 2016: Nerd’s Eye View – Track Cars

SEMA 2016: Nerd’s Eye View – Track Cars

by Khiem Dinh

This BMW 3.0 CSL Group 4 race car won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1975, assuming my Google skills are decent. For the time period, it has some pretty aggressive aero. I’d say this car is definitely more on the spectrum of ‘sorta looks like the street car’ but has extensive modifications under the surface. The massive fenders give that away a bit, eh? Also, the fact the car is a Group 4 car is another indicating factor.

 

Some good ol’ 3-piece BBS wheels wrapped in Dunlop tires. The brakes look small by modern standards, but this car is over 40 years old. Looking to the right and left of the tire, you can see the brake duct in the front bumper and the air jack.
Cages back in the day were a lot sketchier for wheel-to-wheel racing. Modern seats have been retrofitted.
There’s not much to the interior- even the pedals are basic. A new monster tach sits in the middle of the dash, but the instrumentation is just a few analog gauges.
Here’s a look at the rear of the cage. Not much to it compared to modern race cars. The seats are modern Momos however.
I believe the roof spoiler is required due to the steep rake of the rear window. Without the roof spoiler, the airflow would separate from the rear window and would never make it down to the rear wing to generate downforce.

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