0 BMW

Without doubt, this was the birth of BMWMotorsport, where dreams were made and legends created. The E9 CSL is truly iconic in the history of BMW.

Designed by Willhelm Hoffmeister, this elegant Coupe was assembled for BMWby Karmann and cemented BMW’s reputation as a manufacturer of modern, sophisticated and expensive performance cars. The introduction of the torquey M30 six cylinder engine helped give the E9 a performance edge, but the real game changer came when BMW let Alpina loose with the chassis and asked them to optimise the E9 for racing.

Having seen the immediate performance gains achieved by Alpina, BMW moved quickly to form its own performance division – BMW Motorsport.

Many developments followed including larger engine capacity and fuel injection, however one of the most significant moves to keep the car competitive was a significant reduction in weight. A lightweight BMW E9 was built and christened Coupe Sport Leichtbau. A slight problem however was that BMW could not race these cars in their production class without building a run for homologation purposes. Hence the road going CSL was born.

The first run of 169 cars were true lightweights with few comforts and a significant number became race cars. The next production run, including the 500 rhd cars, were built with the addition of extra luxury equipment with road going comfort in mind. This was more to aid sales of what was a seriously expensive car in the early 1970’s. These cars were names City Pack.

There are always a few E9 CSL’s on the market at any time. Unfortunately, many have chequered pasts or have suffered terribly from corrosion and numerous poor restoration works. This makes finding decent body shells extremely hard. Most have been restored 2-3 times and usually poorly, due to the high cost of restoration. Finding unmolested examples that are either rust free or have some corrosion but are suitable donors for first time restoration is a genuine challenge.

We are therefore thrilled to be able to offer this exceptional and stunning example. In original Polaris Silver this car still carries all its correct lightweight features. Alloy panels, lightweight steel panels, black headlining, Scheel seats, 7” Alpina wheels, stainless steel arch extensions, Petri steering wheel, etc.

I was first introduced to this particular CSL in 1997 when the car was bought to me for an appraisal after nearly 12 years in dry storage. Having carried out a very detailed workshop report we were then asked to carry out all the work. The instruction from the owner was that the car was to want for nothing and must be prepared to the highest level to ensure turnkey motoring.

The car was booked in to the body shop and the workshop. The body shell had some small areas of corrosion and the paint had deteriorated while in storage. It was taken back to bare metal and all small areas of corrosion dealt with before being completely resprayed in the original colour. New stripes where then fitted and many of the trim parts replaced to ensure that as new look that the owner required. The body shell was unrestored and had survived reasonably well compared with most E9’s. This meant a proper restoration was possible. So often on these cars we see that all the original structure shapes and contours are lost especially to sill areas, inner front wing box sections and the tops of the inner front wings. £18,500 later the car was presented to a very excited owner.

This car is not just cosmetically stunning but it is structurally correct with all is correct wing rails, gusset panels and sills. The interior is still features its correct flecked carpets, Scheel headrest, correct Lightweight steering wheel, very good wood trim, the cloth is not faded and there are no nasty speakers in door cards. It is 100% correct and absolutely superb.

Mechanically the car wanted for nothing during its mechanical restoration. Every possible age related issue was eliminated ensuring 100% reliability. All new coolant hoses, all new fuel hoses, new fuel pump hoses, Inspection II service carried out, new fuel pressure sensor, new engine mounts, drive belts, complete clutch, clutch hose, radiator, HT leads, fuel injection points, thermostat, new tyres, wheel centers, fuel tank, sound deadening, brake fluid reservoir hoses, four new Bilstein shocks, four rebuilt brake calipers with new pins, pads, handbrake shoes and brake hoses. New brake pipes as required, gearbox mounts, prop shaft coupling, prop shaft bearing, complete new exhaust system, boot light, bulbs, vertical window seals, wiper blades, badges, washer jets, all window mechanisms, adjusted and lubricated, new PAS hoses, 635 dip bean uprated headlamp units installed, track rods, water pump, washer pump, front wheel bearings, rear sub-frame bushes and rear roll bar bushes, Etc were replaced.

The car will be presented to the new owner with a fully documented history file since 1997, service wallet and the original E9 handbook. A correct radio is fitted with iPod connectivity. We will also a supply a copy of the rare and very tricky to find CSL owners supplement.

At present a 5 speed close ratio gearbox is installed in this example. The car still retains her original 4 speed Getrag gearbox and this can be reinstalled for the new owner if preferred.

We have carried out our usual thorough report on the car in our workshops and will be carrying out the following work before the car is handed over to the lucky new owner who we know will carry on enjoying this special CSL as much as the previous enthusiast owners. Inspection I service, new windscreen, all wheels refurbished, some small bits of interior and exterior trim replaced, some small areas of cosmetic paintwork, new carpet and a little thread bare on one of the rears, new Coco floor mats, new tool plastic tool tray (all original tools are present). PDI and new MOT.

Please call Barney for full details.