INTERSERIE EARLY YEARS 1970-1975

By Carlos de Paula


Several European championships emerged during the early seventies, many of which did not survive many years, including the European GT Championship and European 2 liter championship. The Interseries was not a FIA championship, and maybe because of that reason, survived until the early 2000s, although in the latter guise it was but a shadow of its former self.

Read more about if here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732674426

Leo Kinnunen

BMW 3.0 CSL

I have to confess that the BMW 3.0 CSL is a car that totally strikes my fancy. To me, it is the super BMW of all time, in fact, the car that really brought BMW to the fore in automobile racing.

It won a few European Touring Car Championships, starting in 1973, with Toine Hezemans, and most of the races between 1973 and 1980. In Group 2 configuration, it also raced in the the World Championship of Makes, beating quite a few lighter prototypes, and it also raced in Group 5 in 1976, winning three races. The car was also used in IMSA in 1975, winning Sebring, with Brian Redman in the crew, and a few other races with Hans Stuck. The car was also used in the DRM and various touring car series.

The car beat competition from Ford, Mercedes, Jaguar, Chevrolet, Opel, and whoever else dared to race against it in the ETC.

A number of great drivers raced it, among them Jacky Ickx, Dieter Quester, Vittorio Brambilla, Henri Pescarolo, Ronnie Peterson, Hans Stuck, John Fitzpatrick, Tom Walkinshaw, Brian Redman, Gunnar Nillson, Albrecht Krebs, Carlo Facetti, Jean Xhenceval, Alain Peltier, Chris Amon, Toine Hezemans, Alan Moffat, Peter Gregg, Bob Wollek.

EUROPEAN FORMULA 5000

By Carlos de Paula

Around 1968, the horsepower difference between 3 liter Formula 1 and 1.6 liter Formula 2 cars was great. There was a place for an intermediate, high horsepower single seater category in Europe, powered by stock blocks. The U.S. Formula A was just such a formula: stock block 5.0 liter single seater cars, theoretically fast and inexpensive to run, that were being ran in the USA since 1967 The formula was thus adopted in Europe for a 1969 championship.

Read more about it here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732674426

S

EUROPEAN 2 LITER CHAMPIONSHIP

By Carlos De Paula

By 1969, there were quite a few 2 liter sports cars around in Europe to warrant a separate championship. These cars normally competed in the World Championship of Makes, with no chance of outright victory, so competitors welcomed the chance of actually winning races, rather than classes.

Read more about it here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732674426