BMW E9 3.0 CSL v1.0

The BMW New Six CS (internal name BMW E9) is a two-door coupé built for BMW by Karmann from 1968 to 1975. It was developed from the New Class-based BMW 2000 CS coupé, which was enlarged to hold the BMW M30 straight-6 engine used in the E3 sedan.

The E9 platform, especially the 3.0 CSL homologation special, was very successful in racing, especially in European Touring Car Championship and the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft. This helped to establish BMW’s status as a sporty driver’s car.

Introduced in May 1972, the 3.0 CSL was a homologation special built to make the car eligible for racing in the European Touring Car Championship. 1,265 were built.

The “L” in the designation meant leicht (light), unlike in other BMW designations, where it meant lang (long). The lightness was achieved by using thinner steel to build the unit body, deleting the trim and soundproofing, using aluminium alloy doors, bonnet, and boot lid, and using Perspex side windows. The five hundred 3.0 CSLs exported to the United Kingdom were not quite as light as the others, as the importer had insisted on retaining the soundproofing, electric windows, and stock E9 bumpers on these cars. The CSL was never sold in the United States.

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