Here is some additional information over this AMS magazine article, gathered over time:
The CSL comparative article has to have been the largest and costliest PR enterprise that BMW ever did in cooperation with Auto Motor und Sport, Germany´s premier car magazine. The object was to boost the sales of the CSL past the 1000 unit mark before the 1973 season start.
Behind this move, of course Neerpasch but also Bob Lutz, the BMW general sales manager at this time.
A few month before the test, during an Airport track race, Neerpasch had met the main four BMW tuners of the day to define the frame of the event. Two were to provide a civilized upgraded version of the CSL, the other two something more radical. All were offered one car to tune to their specifications. Alpina and Koepchen already had a car on hand, GS and Schnitzer each got one from BMW Motorsport.
The test took place in the fall at the Hockenheim race track, on the nearby Autobahn and the city. It lasted a full week for the weather was not always appropriate. The civilized versions performed without major hitches, the Koepchen had problems with the wheels/tires so that they had to switch from 14 inch to 15 inch rims during the trial, The Schnitzer was getting hot in the city although an extra fan had been planned (see the radiator thermo-switch under the distributor cap – not connected). The tires of the Schnitzer were also questioned. Diagonal racing tires in that size have a substantial increase in rolling resistance compared to the smaller radials, a factor that was not mentioned in the article.
If anyone has more information, please add on...
