For Sale: 1973 BMW 3.0CSL in Scotts Valley, California

1973 BMW 3.0 CSL
VIN: 2275045

Produced in September of 1972, this Polaris Silver 3.0 CSL was originally an Italian delivery car, and the 45th of 429 LHD 3.0 Injection cars produced by BMW. It features the rare City Package, which was offered as an option on all 3.0 CSL models, but rarely fitted to left-hand drive cars.

The City Package was designed to make the homologation special 3.0 CSL more usable as a daily driver, and while this car still retains the trademark aluminum hood and trunk lid, the package added: power steering, anti-roll bars, standard front and rear bumpers, standard windshield, standard side glass, rear-window defroster, chassis undercoating, interior hood release, additional sound deadening, retractable rear side windows (power-operated), tool kit on inner trunk lid, trunk lock, and velour carpeting.

2275045 was purchased from its original Italian owner, Livia Bettini, and imported to Los Angeles in 1994. The last owner, Glenn Mueller of Encinitas, CA would obtain the CSL in 2004.

Since arriving at Canepa the CSL has experienced a thorough mechanical and cosmetic inspection and refurbishment. In addition to our exceptional Canepa Difference processes the car also received a new BMW fuel tank and full fuel system service; the exhaust was removed, cleaned, repaired and refinished in correct BMW hues; new Michelin tires were fitted to the correctly restored 14 inch Alpina rims; and the entire brake system was serviced and cleaned with new front rotors fitted along with brake pads and caliper rebuilds. In total over 300 hours were invested in bringing this car up to Canepa standards.

About the CSL

The 3.0 CSL is a lightweight, performance-oriented version of the standard 3.0 CS/3.0 CSi E9 coupe. It was originally developed as a homologation model for the German Touring Car Championship by a separate division within BMW AG, a division that would later become BMW Motorsport.

Assembled at the Karmann Werkes in Rheine, Germany, the 3.0 CSL was first unveiled at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show to critical acclaim. For a homologation special that came out in an oil crisis costing more than an Aston Martin there is no wonder just over 1000 were produced.

The 'L' in CSL stood for lightweight. According to official BMW figures, a non-optioned 3.0 CSL with all the aluminum body panels weighs 2,568 pounds or about 440 pounds less than an equivalent 3.0 CS.

Being a homologation special, much like the Porsche Carrera RS, the car came specially fitted with modifications that would benefit it in the racing world. Later models came with extravagant spoilers and wings in addition to the optional front airdam and rear spoiler. The 3.2-liter CSL models could be fitted with a removable 'racing kit' consisting of an front airdam, air guide mounted above the rear window, a rear spoiler, and a rear wing, all designed to increase downforce on the competition machines. The addition of these rather striking appendages resulted in the nickname 'Batmobile'. Because these items were required on the road version for homologation purpose but could not be installed at the factory due to a conflict with various European laws, they were supplied as the removable kit.

Thus equipped the 'Batmobiles' were able to defeat the previously all-conquering Ford Capri RS2600s, Toine Hezemans capturing the 1973 European Touring Car Championship for BMW at the wheel of a 3.0 CSL and co-driving one to a class win at Le Mans that year with Dieter Quester. Ford bounced back in 1974 but from 1975 onwards the BMW 'Batmobiles' won five consecutive European Touring Car Championships, a quite unprecedented run of success.

BMW developed four different versions of the street going 3.0 CSL over five years, all to European specification. The original version, produced in late 1971 and early 1972, utilized the standard 2,985-cc M30 engine with twin carburetors and was only offered in left-hand drive. A fuel-injected model displacing 3,003cc then replaced the earlier carbureted version and was produced in both left-hand drive and right-hand drive forms during late 1972 and early 1973. The final iteration of the 3.0 CSL, all produced in left-hand drive and with a larger 3,153-cc engine, was built in two distinct production runs during late 1973 (first batch) and 1974-75 (second batch).

*Odometer at 78362 Kilometers = 48692 miles