Legendary BMW F1 Engine Guru Dies

Paul Rosche, who headed BMW AG’s motorsports program for 20 years, died Tuesday at the age of 82.

Rosche spent his entire career at BMW, joining the carmaker in 1957 and retiring in 1999. Known as "Nocken-Paul" (Camshaft Paul) for his expertise in camshaft camshaft technology, Rosche is credited with leading the development of engines that powered vehicles that won a combined 150 Formula One and Formula Two races.

BMW's first F1 engine was a stock 1.5-liter 4-cylinder mill that Rosche converted to a 16-valve design with a turbocharger and electronic engine management system. The revamped powerplant generated a massive 800 hp (eventually boosted to 1,100 hp) that helped propel Nelson Piquet to win the 1983 F1 world championship.

Rosche’s 6.0-liter V-12 engine was used in two winning 24 Hours of Le Mans cars: the McLaren F1 in 1995 and BMW LMR in 1999. He also designed engines for championship-winning touring cars, starting with the 2.0-liter mill for the 1969 European victor. On production models, Rosche masterminded the engines for the original M1 and E30 M3 road cars.