Brilliant Batmobile reunion to take centre stage at Amelia Island

| 13 Dec 2013

A trio of legendary BMW 3.0 CSLs are to appear together in a dedicated 'Batmobile' class at the Amelia Island concours in March.

The 19th running of the Florida event will pair up both the 1975 Sebring 12 Hours and 1976 Daytona 24 winners, as well as Alexander Calder's 1975 Le Mans art car.

Although Batmobiles were racing in Europe from the early 1970s, they came to prominence in the USA in 1975 when Sam Posey, Brian Redman, Hans Stuck and Alan Moffat dominated at Sebring.

The Alexander Calder art car was the first of a line that would also spawn works by Frank Stella, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. The American artist's efforts were then raced at La Sarthe by Herve Poulain and Jean Guichet.

Bill Warner, Founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, said: "BMW's 'batmobiles' introduced American road racing fans to a new and different style of driving.

"BMW factory driver Hans Stuck led the charge with wild exhibitions of flat-out, wheel lifting, sideways, 'eleven-tenths' 'batmobile' racing that had nothing to do with the traditional smooth techniques of the grand masters of the 1950s and '60s.

"It was wild and mad, but it was frantic, fast and fun to watch!"

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