From the South East Queensland Correspondent: a BMW E9 CS

-

 

This awesome BMW 3.0 CS (aka E9) - photographed by South East Queensland correspondent PeteR, in response to a 3.0 CSL featured in our recent Noosa Concours d’ Elegance post - has really got my motor running!  But it’s also got me wondering about the hierarchy of the CS line-up … .

The Noosa CSL 
(https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2024/07/noosa-concours-d-elegance-2024-part-2.html).

Here, in précis, is what a bit of googling has revealed:   First, but not lowest in the E9 hierarchy, is 1968’s 2800 CS which, unsurprisingly, features a close enough to 2.8 litre version of BMW’s legendary M30 straight six (2,788 cc, to be exact).  

Next in line is today’s feature car, the 3.0 CS of 1971, with a twin Zenith carburettored version of the M30 and a capacity of 2,986 cc.  Released simultaneously was the 3.0 CSi, which, as you’ve probably guessed, has the same donk but runs fuel injection and is therefore maybe a bee’s penis more desirable.


A year later saw the introduction of the 3.0 CSL, with the L standing for leicht, which is German for light.   But it wasn’t just the not-insubstantial weight saving - approximately 180 kg - that set these homologation specials apart from the slightly lower rung versions; the CSL got an upgrade to 3,003 cc and then, in 1973, a further boost to 3,153 cc.

Arguably, the ultimate expression of the CSL 3.0 was the 3,153 cc powered “Batmobile,” featuring a body kit comprising of a front air dam, splitters along the tops of the front mudguards, a spoiler on the trailing edge of the roof and a large boot-mounted wing.  This variant also hails from ‘73.  


1974 saw BMW’s final but lowest specced iteration of the E9: the 2.5 CS with its more economical 2 1/2 litre M30, the reduced engine size being a direct consequence of the 1973 Oil Crisis.  It would appear that the 2.5 was a limited run; only 874 were built by the end of the E9’s production run in 1975 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_E9).


Many of you will know that this isn't the end of the development of the E9, with both Alpina and A C Schnitzer developing their own highly-regarded versions of the car.  That's a line of enquiry worth pursuing but one that we might pick up in a future post ... .  

Did you enjoy this article?  If so, why not browse the rest of the uppermiddlepetrolhead site?  There are loads and loads of classic, sports and performance vehicles featured, as well as stacks of car shows and motorsports events.  Even better, you can follow either the 'blog itself or do so via Upper Middle Petrol Head's Facebook page.  And please do like and share!




U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au)

Photos by PeteR.


Here’s a short video featuring a faithful replica of the Batmobile that you may also find interesting: https://youtu.be/f2DRCPEQtos?.si=C3-n8WsOS4c2xa5G.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

-
Image
EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question:  Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van?  The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification.  Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ;  the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away.  However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other.    No super obvious hints here. Or here ...  . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front   H O L D E N   lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe
Read more

An Electric Fiat X1/9

-
Image
For several years, there have been whispers that an electric X had been constructed in Tasmania's south.  However, no one seemed to know much about the car and how it had been built. That's not to say that it was some kind of skunkworks project; it seems to have simply been an under-the-radar affair, quietly put together by a bloke in his shed.  It was actually so U-T-R that I'd seen it at least twice without me realising that it'd been electrified. The car's since been sold but this is what I could glean from its current owner:  - It's a 1980 model and, as such, was delivered to Australia as a "Series 1.5," meaning that it originally had the Series 1's 1300 cc / four-speed in a Series 2 body with impact-absorbing bumpers and the higher engine compartment lid, as well as the latter's interior; - The motor is a 120 volt DC unit from US company Advanced Motors and Drives, rated at 10 HP / 7.355 kW ( http://evalbum.com/advdc , accessed 03 JUN 24);
Read more

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

-
Image
  Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart.  It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard.  Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags.  And a hubcap went missing.  And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it.  And a mudguard got dented.  And rust set in.   I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla.  Somebody please save it before it's too late.  Nanna needs you to do it. Hello, reader! I've noticed that this seems to be a particularly popular post.  Something to do with Google's algorithms, I guess ... .  But it's not my best piece!  Sure, it's ok, but there are so, so many more interesting classic, sports and performance cars on this site - as well as car shows and motorsports events - for you t
Read more