Built through a collaboration between BMW Motorsport and WilliamsF1, the BMW V12 LMR is a Le Mans prototype which was raced in the 1999 and 2000 seasons. At the time of this writing, it remains the only BMW to have achieved an overall victory at Le Mans.
The car features the BMW S70/3 5990 cc V12 engine producing about 573 HP at 6,500 rpm. In the 1999 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans the German prototype could achieve 214 mph on the Mulsanne Straight.
Due to a rule change for 1999, it featured a single roll hoop behind the driver’s seat which was more aerodynamically clean than the previous year’s car which had a wide roll hoop that covered the entire cockpit. This allowed the open cockpit design to be competitive with the closed cockpit cars that were also competing at the time.
The car was retired after the 2000 racing season as BMW chose to focus their efforts on their F1 racing program.