The M1 might have been the first BMW to have an M badge, but the 3.0 CSL was the actual first car from BMW’s Motorsport division. And this 3.0 CSL, E9/R1, is the actual first car built by BMW Motorsport. Now, you can own it. I shudder when I think about how much this car might be worth.
BMW Motorsport was established in 1972 with the intent of growing the automaker through racing. An all-star team was formed, with Jochen Neerpasch joining from Ford to lead the organization. The first project was taking the 3.0 CS to the track. The elegant sedan was transformed by Motorsport to create the CSL.
The chassis for sale here, E9/R1, was the first car. It was tested and developed by Hans Stuck and Harald Menzel. It raced in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) series. A fun story that I didn’t know was that this car wasn’t originally homologated with the full Batmobile bodywork and the 3.5-liter engine, but once it was, the work was done overnight. Here’s the story from Dylan Miles, the seller:
On 30th June at the DRM Mainz-Finthen race E9/R1 qualified without the Batmobile Kit and at midnight the FIA homologated its use and the factory engineers immediately took the Werks cars to the local BMW dealership and worked throughout the night to upgrade both with Batmobile bodywork and 3.5L engines, cutting it so fine that one of the mechanics drove it back the circuit on the road just before the race was due to start!!
Wild, and amazing that they were able to do that so quickly.
Motorsport only kept this car until the end of the 1973 season, when it was sold to the Hurtig Libra IMSA team, where it ran in 1974. It went to Mexico City next, owned by Daniel Muniz, then to Richard Conway, a BMW collector, in the Eighties. The current owner purchased it in the Nineties and has preserved and restored it. However, it was also kept out of the public eye, not appearing until the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Considering its history and significance, the price will not be anything approaching accessible. If you add it to your garage, give us a call.
