The 1973 European Touring Car Championship

Initiated by ALPINA boss Burkard Bovensiepen, BMW homologates the 3.0 CSL, a lightweight version of the 3.0 CSi, to compete with the Ford Capri. ALPINA also uses a 3.0 CSL and builds another vehicle for the British importer and prepares it for the races during the season.

The ultimate showdown between Ford and BMW begins on March 25, 1973 in Monza, Italy. For lack of sponsors, the ALPINA Coupé rolls in snow-white at the start – but the drivers are world-class: Niki Lauda and Brian Muir take the wheel for ALPINA. For Lauda it was already the third and last season behind the wheel of the fast touring cars from the Allgäu. Driver pairings Hans Joachim Stuck / Chris Amon and Toine Hezemans / Dieter Quester are at the start for the BMW factory team. The Ford factory team around Michael Kranefuss sends Jackie Stewart / John Fitzpatrick and Jochen Maas / Jodie Scheckter into the race.

Jackie Stewart promptly managed to place the Capri in first place on the grid in qualifying. But as in the last two successful years, Burkard Bovensiepen trusts in the reliability and durability in the 4-hour race. Contrary to the factory team, Prof. Dr. Fritz Indra on the 3.0 liter engine instead of the 3.3 liter engine used by Motorsport GmbH around Jochen Neerpasch and Martin Braungart. Exactly this move turns out to be the right decision in the subsequent race: Stuck retires with a broken cylinder head gasket and Toine Hezemans' second factory BMW is also often in the pits and ultimately has to give up. Vittorio Brambilla's Schnitzer BMW, which set the fastest time in free practice, wasn't stable enough either. What remained were the two Capris and the BMW ALPINA. After an unsuccessful pit stop by the Ford team, a torn V-belt in Maas' car and an engine failure in Stewart's car, the time had come for the reliable ALPINA CSL. In the very first race, the ALPINA team managed a surprise coup: Victory in Monza!

After heavy snowfall in April, the second round at the Salzburgring has to be postponed to the end of May. After the brilliant victory in Monza, Eckhard Schimpf got in touch with Bovensiepen KG in Buchloe: Schimpf, whose grandfather founded the Mast-Jägermeister company, arranged a sponsorship deal for the rest of the season. Result: The ALPINA coupés were immediately orange and bore the well-known logo of the liqueur brand Jägermeister.

 

 

Due to the lack of availability of Lauda, who finished fifth in his BRM Formula 1 at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, BMW factory driver Toine Hezemans will start for ALPINA together with Brian Muir. BMW Motorsport had problems preparing their vehicles for Formula 2, the Acropolis Rally and the German Racing Championship at the same time and is therefore only entering one works car – driven by Hans Joachim Stuck and Dieter Quester. In the race, however, the BMWs were unlucky: a bent valve forced the works CSL to retire, Toine Hezemans, who was leading for a long time, crashed into the guardrail after trying to avoid a crash with a much less powerful 2002. Hezemans finished second, six laps behind – after the driver pairing Dieter Glemser / John Fitzpatrick in the Capri.

At the race in Mantorp Park in Sweden, BMW Motorsport did not enter a vehicle and relied on ALPINA and Schnitzer. Due to the busy schedule, Ford also only sent one vehicle to distant Sweden. In the race itself, Hezemans and Muir, who again started for ALPINA, had problems with the brake fluid, but managed a solid second place behind the works Capri from Cologne, piloted by Dieter Glemser and Jochen Maas.

The highlight of the season was on July 8th, 1973 at the Nürburgring. The home race of the factory teams, the starting field full of current Formula 1 drivers like Emerson Fittipaldi, Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda. BMW was able to homologate the 3.5 liter engine and a new aerodynamic package with a sweeping rear spoiler for the race in the Eifel - which was a sensation at the time. Lauda, who initially made fun of the difficult pit radio technology in the ALPINA CSL, set a fabulous time and a new lap record in the ALPINA Coupé: The clocks stopped an incredible time of 8:17.3 minutes. Almost 80,000 spectators saw a gripping race with exciting duels, which was led by the ALPINA Coupé for a long time. Unfortunately, a defective wheel bearing forced the ALPINA team to make a longer pit stop shortly before the end. Ultimately, however, BMW triumphed across the board at the Nürburgring: 1st and 2nd place went to Preussenstrasse – 3rd to Buchloe.

 

 

The 5th round of the European Touring Car Championship 1973 is the long-distance classic 24 Hours of Spa. But this run will be one of the most painful in the motorsport history of the ALPINA company: The top German talent Hans Peter Joisten, while in the lead, skids in the Malmedy curve during the night, crashes into the guardrail and unfortunately comes to a halt in the middle of the track. Roger Dubos in the Alfa, which Joisten had just overtaken, can no longer brake and drives head-on into Joisten, which is at right angles to the lane. Both drivers die in the accident. The second ALPINA Coupé is immediately removed from the race. The victory of Toine Hezemans and Dieter Quester in the factory CSL becomes a minor matter.

In Zandvoort, another Formula 1 star is starting for ALPINA: James Hunt is making a guest appearance at the Jägermeister ALPINA due to a wrist fracture by Niki Lauda. Since no second, new racing coupe could be built in such a short time, this time the stars drove in a second CSL coupe which was regularly prepared by ALPINA for Malcom Gartlan Racing from Great Britain. A Hunt driving like crazy secured second place in the race for the ALPINA team and was able to score important points in the championship standings.

At the penultimate race in Paul Ricard, it was clear that the BMW coupés were clearly superior to the Capris. ALPINA entered a freshly built 3.0 CSL Coupé and again entered the race with two vehicles. This time another F1 driver started for Bovensiepen with Jacky Ickx. After the convincing appearance of James Hunt also a dream line-up for the 6 hour race in southern France. The run ended extremely successfully for BMW: The first four places go to Bavaria – 1st place and 3rd place to Munich – 2nd place and 4th place to Buchloe. BMW can comfortably extend its lead in the overall standings.

Finally, the RAC Tourist Trophy in the venerable Silverstone provided the stage for the showdown to decide the championship in 1973. Again in full force: the Ford and BMW works teams – ALPINA also fielded two CSLs as usual. Bovensiepen signs Harald Ertl and Derek Bell - Brian Muir sits on the British CSL. Harald Ertl drives the initial stint, hands over to Bell – whose lead over Dieter Quester is dwindling more and more after a long pit stop and two driving penalties. Shortly before the end, the leading factory BMW had to make a short pit stop to refuel, a so-called "splash and dash". The ALPINA, trimmed for economy by Bovensiepen, could do without it, result: victory for ALPINA!

With a total of two wins, four second places and one third place, a very successful season comes to an end. Toine Hezemans took the crown in the drivers' standings. BMW wins in the manufacturer ranking – thanks to active help from ALPINA. The final score on points: BMW 120, Ford 97. It remains to be mentioned that ALPINA alone collected 100 points and thus even without the factory team from Munich putting the Fords in their place. What a performance!