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1973 BMW 3.0 CSL

RM Sotheby's

1973 BMW 3.0 CSL
RM Sotheby's
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SH ID

23-1025014

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FEATURED BY SPEEDHOLICS

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Sold

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United Kingdom

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Auction

One of 438 factory BMW 3.0 CSLs built in 1973

 

Since fitted with a 3.5-litre engine and race prepared

 

Inspired by Hervé Poulain’s 3.0 CSL “Art Car” that raced in the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans; now finished in white, red, and blue BMW-style livery

 

An enticing prospect to drive in the many historic racing events it is eligible to enter

Description

The many successful racing applications of BMW’s E9 series earned the Munich marque plaudits, yet perhaps none is more important than the 3.0 CSL. A homologation special, BMW unleashed 1,265 road-going units of the Coupé Sport Leicht into enthusiast ownership. The 3.0 CSL was lighter than the contemporary 3.0 CS or CSi thanks to its thinner steel bodywork. Highly successful on the racetrack, the 3.0 CSL won the 1973 European Touring Car Championship with Toine Hezemans, and Hervé Poulain’s entry to the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans with “Art Car”-styled livery by Alexander Calder stole the hearts of motorsport fans around the world. Chassis 2285395 is a rare and fascinating take on BMW’s homologated supercar slayer. Beginning life as a road-registered, factory 3.0 CSL, the car was delivered new to the United Kingdom and first registered on 13 September 1973. While its earliest years are not documented, it is thought that by the 1990s it had been transformed into a race-prepped machine. In 2000, the car was noted in a previous auction description to have been fitted with a 3.5-litre engine, while it is thought to have worn a livery applied in tribute to Calder’s “Art Car”. The car was later refinished in the white, red, and blue livery it wears today. Its conversion into race specification was comprehensive. A stripped-out interior is framed by a roll cage, with a pair of Sparco Evo II racing seats enveloped by multi-point harness seatbelts. A panel featuring switchgear and emergency cut-off controls replaces the convention centre console. Around the outside of the car, an impressive aero body kit sculpted by large air intakes is matched by a set of deep-dish split-rim wheels wearing Avon tyres. The boot features a fuel tank fed by dual filler spouts mounted through the boot lid. Deployed at historic racing events by previous owners—including noted outings at the 2011 Algarve Classic Festival and 2012 Donington Historic Festival by Andrew Smith and John Young—the BMW could be an ideal companion for its next owner at the events for which this car is eligible. In June 2017 the car was granted an FIA Historic Technical Passport for the Competition Touring Car class.