What the car is and where it came from
The 3.0 CSL is the homologation model of the BMW E9, the range of coupés BMW built from 1968 to 1975. The E9 grew out of the four-cylinder 2000 C and 2000 CS, enlarged to take the M30 six-cylinder engine, with bodywork built by Karmann. The CSL was introduced in May 1972 to make the car eligible for racing in the European Touring Car Championship. In all, 1,265 were built.
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
The L means leicht, light, unlike other BMW designations where it meant lang, long. The weight came off in several places: thinner steel in the unit body, trim and soundproofing deleted, aluminium alloy doors, bonnet and boot lid, and Perspex side windows. The five hundred cars exported to the United Kingdom were not quite as light, because the importer insisted on keeping the soundproofing, electric windows and standard E9 bumpers.
The engine began as the 3.0 CS unit and was bored out a quarter of a millimetre to 3,003 cc in August 1972, so the car could be raced in the over-three-litre category. In 1973 a longer stroke took it to 3,153 cc, rated at 206 PS.
What it gets right
It is honest about its purpose. The lightening and the later changes were aimed at the racing programme, and the 1973 car, homologated in July of that year, added an air dam, short fins along the front fenders, a roof spoiler and a tall rear wing. That full package earned the racing cars the nickname Batmobile.
What it does not
The rear wings were not fitted at the factory. They were left in the boot for installation after purchase, because they were illegal on German roads. The CSL was not sold in the United States, and the British cars gave back some of the lightness that gave the car its letter.
What it changed
It put the E9 into touring-car racing. In Group 2 form, CSL drivers won the European Touring Car Championship drivers’ title six times, in 1973 and from 1975 to 1979. In 1976 the Group 5 cars won three rounds of the World Championship for Makes, and in Group 4 form, notably when Hans-Joachim Stuck drove, it competed against racing versions of the Porsche 911 and Ford Capri. In 1973 Toine Hezemans won the title and, with Dieter Quester, a class victory at Le Mans. The first two BMW Art Cars were 3.0 CSLs, painted by Alexander Calder and Frank Stella.
Who it is for, and who it is not
It is for readers who like the idea of a road car that exists to satisfy a rulebook, and for anyone tracing BMW’s racing history through the 1970s. It is not for readers who want road-test impressions or a kerb weight for the road car, because the lightness is described here by what was removed, not by a number.
Is it worth your time
Yes. The CSL is a clear case of a car shaped by regulation, from the letter in its name to the wings in its boot, and BMW has returned to the name. It showed the 3.0 CSL Hommage concept in 2015, and in November 2022 revealed a new 3.0 CSL based on the M4, of which 50 were produced.
