The BMW M3 that gave Bruno Spengler a long-awaited first DTM title in 2012 is perhaps an obvious pick for his favourite car. After several championship near-misses, the Canadian drove his Schnitzer Motorsport-run M3 to victory in four of that year’s 10 rounds and secured the title on the Bavarian brand’s return to the DTM after a 20-year hiatus. That also meant a perfect start to life at his new employer, following a career-defining switch from Mercedes.
Spengler had spent seven years with the Three-Pointed Star in the DTM, six of those with the leading HWA squad, and before then raced with Mercedes engines in the 2004 Formula 3 Euroseries. He’d managed runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2007, but had come closest to the title in 2010. Leading by 16 points after two wins from the opening five races, he headed the standings into the final round at a new Shanghai street track, but two crashes robbed him of confidence and he ultimately lost out to both eventual champion Paul di Resta and Gary Paffett.
