1972 BMW 3.0 CSL Coupe

The BMW 3.0 CSL was a homologation special built in the tradition of the 1800 TiSa and the 2002 Turbo. It brought aerodynamic effects modifications and an increased engine displacement, and wore Karmann-built coachwork. The competition versions captured victories in the European Touring Car Championship, German Touring Car and FIA Group 5 events, and the American IMSA Camel GT series.

This particular CSL is one of 169 first-series examples built between May of 1971 and July of 1972. The later series used fuel injection; this first-series example uses carbureted induction.

When new, this CSL was sent to Italian ownership, and sometime in the 1970s it was exported to the United States and to the Atlanta area. In 1986, it was acquired by a BMW collector who treated it to a comprehensive restoration during the early 1990s. A Weber carbureted replacement engine was sourced and installed, mated to a new five-speed manual gearbox. The work was completed in 1997, with the work including a repaint in black, followed by application of the classic three-colored stripes suggestive of BMW Motorsport.

In March of 2014, it was acquired by Henry Schmitt. Since then, it has been given several design cues from the later CSL series, most prominently including a 'Batmobile'-style trunk lid.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2019