bmw 3.0 csl batmobile alpina
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BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile: A Unique Beast

Before starting with the article I want to explain who our guest is: According to its owner, it is one of the two units that remain in Spain of BMW E9 3.0 CSL, which is active in the GT3 Logistics Canary Islands team. The Brito family invited us a couple of months ago to show it to us openly.

If we talk about competition, surely one of the first brands that comes to mind of the reader is BMW. Among all its models, 328's apart, there is one really special: the one known in this world as CSL 'Batmobile' for its eccentric aerodynamic appendages. It is the first car tuned by the Motorsport department even though it does not carry the classic 'M' badge, and is characterized, apart from its mechanics, by the elimination of the cabin insulation and the use of aluminum in most of the bodywork, among other features that we will fill in later.

bmw 3.0 csl batmobile
BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile, it is hard to believe that this was its full version 'standard' (Photo: RM Sotheby's)

So that we fully understand the reason for the existence of this impressive classic, let's make a historical stop ...

Within BMW, the denomination E9 (1968-75) it has always been special. The E9s had three pieces of powertrains, the 2.5, 2.8 and 3.0; the latter, even in a version increased by 300cc, was the one used to make the CSL 3.200cc lightweight variant that we bring to these pages today. It had quite a sporting success, being the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) in the 70 'the competition in it shone more strongly along with the Ford Capri. He won in 1973 and swept between '75 and '79.

bmw e9 csl batmobile
Inside, details such as the seats or the steering wheel reveal its sporty character (Photo: RM Sotheby's)

But he also finished first in class at the 24 1973 Hours of Le Mans, did a double at the Nürburgring in the German Touring Car Grand Prix and even raced at the 1975 IMSA with Ronnie Peterson at the wheel.

Finally, it must be said that the BMW E9 CSL He not only stood out on the circuits, but also in art galleries. And is that the BMW ArtCar's They were painted by the most famous artists of their time, such as Alexander Calder or Frank Stella, being so successful that they inaugurated a saga of 'artistic' BMWs.

An E9 181 kilos lighter

Returning to the standard units (for homologation) of the CSL Batmobile, of which only about 170 were made, their sides were adorned with three-color Motorsport stripes in irresistible red, purple and blue. We all associate those colors with the most radical BMW's in history.

It was and is a huge four-seater Coupe, and this 'mastodon' measures nothing more and nothing less than 4.6 meters long. In reality, if all the spoilers were removed, it would be a car that would go quite unnoticed on the street, and in terms of design it is a car that follows the general lines of the BMW's of its time.

bmw 3.0 csl batmobile
The lines of the E9 coupe were maximized for its sportier version (Photo: RM Sotheby's)

As we have said, the CSLs have a mechanical inline 6 cylinders and 3.2 liters of displacement that were expanded to 3.500 in the racing examples. In its first versions, with CSi mechanics, it gave 200 horses, reaching 206 in the latter. However, it supports Rennsport or racing preparations of no more and no less than 500 hp; yes, if you read correctly, 500cv !!

And it is that the evolution from a CSi to a CSL is not only aesthetics: firmer suspensions, larger tires, sports seats and steering wheel ... These are just some of the things that make the fan intuit that they are facing a radical version lightened in 181 kilos and whose behavior has been fine-tuned to give the chest a do on the slopes.

bmw 3.0 csl
This proverbial 6 online has a long way to go if it comes to preparing it 😉 (Photo: RM Sotheby's)

Our unit, a little further

Before starting to talk about this specific unit, I want to thank once again GT3 Logistics Canary Islands lending himself to show it to me. It is my first article in 'The Escudería' And it is very special for me to be able to debut with a wonderful car that has been lovingly restored for 10 months by the Brito family.

Do you remember the 70s? Those wonderful years when engines sounded like engines, gasoline was still with Lead and in which cars had a soul and were not all an absurd copy? Motorsports were still at the top; Today a driver would race you F1 and at the same time he was preparing for next week to run the MonteCarlo Rally, and the following week he would go up to Germany to run the 24 hours of the Nürburgring. Do you still remember that wonderful time? Right? Let me remind you that this was the time when you did not run to get rich but only to compete and make it clear who was boss on the track.

In a time when F1 was not commercial if not passionate, in a time when the Green Hell was where you really measured how great a driver was ... There was a silver arrow on the circuits called Bmw 3.0 CSL and it embodied all those virtues.

According to its owner, the example we are writing about today is a somewhat special 'Batmobile' modified by Alpina, one of the great BMW preparers. In addition, the traditional mechanics of the CSL have been replaced by that of the E24 M6, which develops a not inconsiderable figure of 340 hp.

La GT3 Logistics Canary Islands Team, that has carried out the restoration and preparation to race in 10 months, affirms that this CSL Alpina is one of the two in Spain, champion in mountain races and circuits such as Alcañiz.

Thank you very much for letting us enjoy it!

What do you think?

Written by Borja Lopez

Borja López Redondo is a great fan of the classics, only 19 years old. He resides in the Canary Islands and we have decided to sign him up as an intern so that he can refine his journalistic skills. With such a good base, it sure won't cost us much to polish it! Ah! Let's not forget: He is one of the founders of the popular Facebook group 'Classic Motor Lovers' ...

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