One to Buy: restored 1972 BMW E9 3.0 CSL
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Having successfully campaigned various iterations of the 1800, 2000 and 2002, BMW decided to take on Ford in the top class of international touring car racing.
The E9-based 3.0 CSL was their weapon of choice. It became the first product to emerge from BMW’s new Motorsport department and went down as one of the 1970’s most iconic competition cars.
To qualify for the Group 2 category, a production run of 1000 Coupe Sport Leichts was necessary which BMW had dutifully created by November 1972 when homologation was approved in anticipation of the 1973 racing season.
In addition to the bare bones original variant produced up to July 1972 (which had used a carb-fed 2985cc motor and was only available in left-hand drive), BMW produced a second batch of CSLs with 3003cc fuel-injected motors. Notably, this later iteration was also offered in right-hand drive of which 500 examples were built, most of which headed to the UK.
The majority of these right-hand drive CSLs were configured with the optional City Pack which re-instated luxuries such as power steering, a heated rear window, additional sound deadening, velour carpet, a normal locking bonnet and boot lid and a full toolkit. Bumpers were also part of the City Pack as was a fully undersealed chassis, a laminated windscreen, proper side glass, CS/CSi suspension settings and anti-roll bars. Most examples also came with bonnets, doors and boot lids fabricated from steel instead of aluminium.
Currently on offer at the Classic Throttle Shop showroom in North Sydney is an especially fine example of the City Pack-equipped CSL painted arguably the best colour for one of these cars: Polaris Silver.
Restored back in 1995, since which time it has covered a little under 16,000 miles, this particular car’s superb condition is a testament to the quality of the work carried out nearly 30 years ago and the obvious care that has been lavished upon it ever since.
