Spengler was born near Strasbourg, France, in the Alsace region, but relocated with his family to Saint-Hippolyte, Quebec, Canada, at the age of three. He was educated in Canada yet maintained close ties to France, returning regularly to compete in kart racing from 1995. He progressed through karting in both countries before moving into the French Formula Renault, a pathway that brought him to the attention of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. In 2003 he raced for ASM in the Formula Three Euroseries as a Mercedes programme driver, marking the formal beginning of his single-seater career in Europe.
Spengler entered the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters in 2005 with Persson Motorsport, the privateer Mercedes entry. His results were sufficiently impressive that he persuaded AMG directors to field an official factory car for him in 2006. The investment paid off immediately: in his first full works season Spengler finished second in the championship behind his Mercedes teammate Bernd Schneider, the five-time DTM champion. He repeated that runner-up position in 2007, this time behind Audi's Mattias Ekström, despite Audi conducting a controversial mass withdrawal from the Barcelona round mid-season.
In 2010 Spengler led the DTM standings for much of the year, prompting Mercedes motorsport director Norbert Haug to state publicly that a championship would earn the driver a Formula 1 seat. However, he lost the title in the closing races to Paul di Resta, who subsequently joined Force India in F1. Formula 1 speculation had surfaced earlier too — in August 2007 Spengler was linked with the new Prodrive F1 project and with a McLaren seat, but neither materialised after Prodrive's entry was rejected and Heikki Kovalainen signed for McLaren.
For 2012 Spengler made a pivotal switch, leaving Mercedes to join BMW Team Schnitzer for BMW's return to the DTM after a prolonged absence. The season reached its climax at the Hockenheimring, where Spengler arrived three points behind championship leader Gary Paffett of Mercedes. He overtook Paffett at the race start and held position to take victory — his fourth win of the season. The margin over Paffett at the championship's conclusion was four points. The result simultaneously delivered the Teams' Championship to Schnitzer and the Manufacturers' Championship to BMW, making 2012 one of the most complete single-season performances in modern DTM history.
In 2018 Spengler joined Andretti Autosport as one of their test and reserve drivers ahead of the 2018–19 Formula E season, partnered alongside Beitske Visser in that support role. He did not advance to race duties in the championship.
After leaving the DTM at the end of 2019, Spengler shifted his focus to endurance and sportscar racing. He made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in 2020 with ByKolles Racing. He also competed in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for BMW Team RLL, recording a class win in the GTLM category. In 2023 he was crowned Italian GT Sprint champion, demonstrating continued competitiveness on European circuits.
Spengler spent two seasons in the highly competitive Japanese Super GT Championship before parting ways with BMW at the end of 2024, concluding a factory partnership that had spanned two manufacturers and nearly two decades at the highest level of touring car sport.
In 2025 Spengler joined the Alsatian sports car manufacturer Bugatti as "Pilote Officiel," taking over the role from Pierre-Henri Raphanel in a move that brought his career geographically back to his Alsatian roots. His 2012 DTM title remains one of the most dramatic in the championship's modern era: a last-race, last-lap victory over the reigning manufacturer's champion, achieved in BMW's first season back in the series. Across his career Spengler also came closer than most to converting touring car success into a Formula 1 opportunity — a path ultimately not taken, though frequently discussed at the height of his powers.
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