{"id":17187,"date":"2022-07-15T07:10:48","date_gmt":"2022-07-15T07:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/?p=17187"},"modified":"2022-07-15T10:14:27","modified_gmt":"2022-07-15T10:14:27","slug":"the-homologators-bmw-3-0-csl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/the-homologators-bmw-3-0-csl\/","title":{"rendered":"The Homologators \u2013 BMW 3.0 CSL"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the Caped Crusader drove a road car then the BMW 3.0 CSL would certainly be his weapon of choice. It was, after all, nicknamed the Batmobile in its final guise. And rightly so, as the definitive incarnation of this proper homologation special featured a huge front splitter, flared arches and not one, but two rear spoilers; one on the back of the roof and an even bigger one on the boot lid, giving it an incredibly aggressive and imposing presence, much like that of the comic book car upon which its super hero sobriquet is derived.<\/p>\n

\"automotive,<\/p>\n

Much like Batman and Bruce Wayne the BMW 3.0 CSL<\/a> also had an alter ego. On the one hand, the E9 upon which it was based was a stylish but somewhat subtle coup\u00e9 in stock form. On the flip side, however, it was also a fire breathing behemoth that took on, and conquered, all-comers in race car guise. It was a heroic machine, not just in the way it looked but also in the way it got around a track and subsequently in the way it amassed a whole host of European Touring Car Championship wins.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But before we get to the CSL proper we need to talk about its predecessor: the original BMW E9 2800 CS that was unveiled in 1968. Here was a refined coup\u00e9 powered by a capable 2.8, six-cylinder engine putting out 170bhp. Itself based on the earlier 2000 C the 2800 was lighter and more technically advanced and promptly dipped its toes into the world of motorsport but despite a power hike courtesy of Alpina the car wasn’t competitive enough due to a rather hefty weight disadvantage compared to its peers.<\/p>\n

With that in mind a carburettor-equipped 3.0 CS and the fuel injected 3.0 CSi were developed in ’71, powered by a larger displacement version of the M30 engine used in the 2800. Then, shortly afterwards in 1972, the 3.0 CSL was born and it drove straight into the history books, and indeed our hearts.<\/p>\n

\"automotive,<\/p>\n

The difference between the CS and the CSL was more than just the addition of the 12th letter in the alphabet, although that L was in important and contributing factor to the car’s motorsport success. Standing for Leicht<\/em>, which is German for light, the CSL was substantially less flabby thanks to being put on a strict diet. Thinner steel was used for the body and gone was any extraneous trim. The soundproofing was also binned and the doors, bonnet and boot lid were now aluminium. Finally, perspex was utilised for the side windows in place of glass. Just over 1,200 of these cars were produced to achieve homologation status so that BMW could enter them into the European Touring Car Championship, a series that the car would immediately dominate shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The car originally featured the same engine as that fitted to the CS but it was soon modified with a very small increase in displacement to 3,003 cm3 by boring out the pistons in order to qualify for the over three litre class of racing. Then, in early 1973 a further escalation occurred taking the engine to 3.2-litres and utilising the Bosch D-Jetronic direct injection system from the CSi. This boosted power to around 200bhp but every incarnation up to this point used the same Getrag four-speed manual and limited slip diff.<\/p>\n

\"automotive,<\/p>\n

Half way through that same year the last and ultimate version of the BMW 3.0 CSL was unleashed – the aforementioned Batmobile. But this wasn’t a moniker that BMW came up with. Oh no. That particular epithet was purely the public’s reaction to the car’s striking aesthetic thanks to all of the aerodynamic accoutrements that adorned the body. Accoutrements that helped the 3.0 CSL achieve not only a class win at the Le Mans 24 Hour that year as well triumph at the ETCC but also secure consecutive wins in that illustrious competition from ’75 to ’79.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It wasn’t just the exterior that received the sporting treatment either. The interior was stripped down to the essentials although it did retain its wooden dash and centre console trim. The bucket seats, sporty three-spoke steering wheel and lack of any creature comforts told you all you needed to know about the intended function of the car though. A \u201cCity Package\u201d was available for those who required a certain level of comfort, reinstating, as it did, the niceties of the CSi, including electric (glass) windows and a heated rear windscreen. The rear spoiler was also stashed in the boot to be fitted Airfix style by owners due to it not being strictly street legal. God we love the old days.<\/p>\n

\"automotive,<\/p>\n

Considered by many to be the first M car the CSL certainly kick-started the whole BMW Motorsport movement despite not carrying that now instantly recognisable M badge on its boot. With the help of Jochen Neerpasch, who BMW had poached from Ford \u2013 its motorsport director at the time – a team of engineers at the German firm came together to consolidate all of BMW’s racing endeavours under one roof and the new BMW Motorsport GmbH was born with the 3.0 CSL being its inaugural output. Still going strong to this day it may have produced a few half decent cars over the years…<\/p>\n

\"automotive,<\/p>\n

With its unique and arresting looks, combined with a rich legacy of racing success, not to mention kicking off a whole art car movement, the BMW 3.0 CSL is as iconic and legendary as they come. Instantly recognisable it remains a truly special car, not just in the BMW canon, but in the motoring word as a whole.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If the Caped Crusader drove a road car then the BMW 3.0 CSL would certainly be his weapon of choice. It was, after all, nicknamed the Batmobile in its final…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":17190,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[225],"tags":[4317,4320,15,4318,45,4319,963,13,11,4161,4321,1811,3113,14,56,16,1422],"yoast_head":"\nThe Homologators \u2013 BMW 3.0 CSL - Car & Classic Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Race winner, art car, icon: the BMW 3.0 CSL is a true superhero of the automotive world. 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