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Retro
Series(^1972) WORDS MICHAEL STAHL
BMW 3.0 CSL 104
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The lightweight homologation special that dominated touring car racing in the 1970s
BMW in the 1960s was a company getting back onto its feet. From a
brush with bankruptcy in 1959 and rescue by the Quandt family (which
still controls around 46 percent), the product fightback began with the
two-cylinder ‘700’ in 1959, upshifted with the four-cylinder ‘1500’ in 1962
and – well, you can see the pattern.
(leicht, or lightweight), of which a minimum of 1000 would be built.
The initial 598 left-hand-drive examples (the first 169 carburetted)
shaved 130kg via a bonnet, bootlid and doors in aluminium, plastic
side windows, fibreglass bumper (rear only) and a minimum of
soundproofing and interior comforts. A further 500 right-hand-drive
The six-cylinder E3 sedan and sister E9 coupe
introduced the slightly hooded four-headlight
‘face’ that would define BMW for decades.
Bat’s incredible
Aussie arch-rivals Allan Moffat
and Peter Brock shared a 3.0 CSL
at Le Mans in 1976; in 1975, Moff
had co-driven a 3.0 CSL to victory
in the 1975 Sebring 12 Hours.
Fast
&
The six-cylinder ‘E3’ 2500 and 2800 sedans came in 1968, featuring a
new, in-line M06 engine (later renamed M30) loosely derived from the M10
ohc four. That same year BMW was still smarting from the market failure
of the 1966 2000 CS coupe, so it also launched a six-cylinder version of it,
the E9 – effectively the same pillarless body from A-pillar back.
In early 1971 it gained a 3.0-litre capacity – and six months later,
injection and the ‘CSi’ badge – plus rear disc brakes and a big dose of
development of the old four-cylinder’s platform. It was by now very
BMW-like: with 150kW and weighing 1400kg, a stock 3.0 CSi did
0-100km/h in eight seconds and had a top speed of 220km/h.
And oh, did BMW have plans for this leggy beauty. With the 2002 Turbo
out of contention for the European Touring Car Challenge, and Ford’s
Capri V6 dominating, in September 1972 BMW announced the 3.0 CSL
cars had steel bumpers, power windows and standard interior,
sacrificing around half the weight savings.
A third batch of 167 left-hand-drive cars had 3.2-litre engines.
More notable was what came in the boot: the spectacular aero kit,
comprising front air dam, fender splitters, raised roof spoiler and
towering rear wing, which had so upset the German road authorities
that BMW let dealers or owners install it.
Homologation for the ‘Batmobile’ was granted in July 1973, and the
ETCC became a case of ‘same Bat channel’: 3.0 CSLs won the drivers’
title in 1973 and from ’75-79, surrendering it in 1980 to the E30 320i.
From 1975, CSLs enjoyed lucrative careers in US IMSA racing.
Production of BMW’s E9 coupe ceased in 1975, the last of the 3.2-litre
CSLs bringing the remarkable, lightweight coupe’s total to 1265 units.
Aussie invaders Defining features