It’s hard to believe it these days but BMW as a brand was introduced to the US market rather late, using a couple of interesting marketing schemes. When it comes to M cars, the first car developed by what was to become the Motorsport division, the 3.0 CSL, was racing in the US as soon as it saw the light of day. One of BMW’s first ventures in racing on the North American continent came in the shape of a car that won the Sebring endurance race back in 1975 and wore the number 25 on the bonnet.
That racing livery featuring the M stripes became synonymous with performance and great racing pedigree and is still invokes respect whenever people see it. One of the reasons why that’s true is because the 3.0CSL had an engine that was capable of putting out up to over 800 HP, while ABS brakes weren’t even on the radar. Driving one therefore required massive amounts of courage.
In a daring attempt to pay tribute to the men and cars of that age, the guys from Rencal Motors had their own BMW M2 wrapped in a livery that mimics closely that of the 1975 racer. The wrap itself was done by the guys from Exclusive Wraps that had the brilliant idea of creating it with a sort of patina imbued in it already. Therefore, the end product looks as if it has been racing since 1975 to this day non-stop. The worn-out look is definitely setting this particular car apart, in any situation.
Since BMW claims that the M2 is the spiritual successor of the E30 M3 and the M3, in turn, was developed with know-how garnished from the 3.0CSL, it does seem only right for the baby M car to wear his granddad’s clothes. As for us, we can only applaud the people involved in this project for their inspiration and end product.
Photos via jlyon9.
