A rare and beautiful 3.0 CSi coupe in unblemished Polaris Silver coachwork with immaculate dark blue leather interior.
At Munich Legends we see many E9 coupes, both CSi and CSL, but rarely do we see a car in such beautiful condition; we reckon this particular CSi to be a strong contender for the ‘Best CSi we’ve ever seen’ award. The body work is entirely rust free, the paint exceptional, the interior has no tears or defects, the engine runs beautifully and the car drives as well as it would have done the day it left the factory. The mileage currently shown is 96507
This very special CSi comes with a good history file. The first owner purchased the car from the BMW dealership on Jersey in 1974 and owned the car until 1987 when the vehicle was brought to the UK. There are only 4 keepers on the V5 since 1987. In 1994, the CSi underwent a full body restoration and was subsequently purchased by a Mrs Blair of Evesham, who owned the car until November 2008 when it was purchased by the current owner. The current owner is a prominent member of the BMW Car Club, and in fact co-runs the E9 register with the legendary John Castle, one of the country’s leading experts on E9 coupes, who has also inspected the car, pronouncing it to be in ‘excellent condition’.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this particular CSi represents a unique opportunity to own one of the rarest BMWs in existence, in genuinely stunning condition.
It is rare to find a genuine classic car that has gone under the radar in the modern age of internet and multi-media, but the E9 3.0 CSi is just such a find. Often overshadowed by its legendary stable mate, the ‘lightweight’ 3.0 CSL, the 3.0 CSi has been very much overlooked by classic car lovers. One of the factors which hugely affects the values on the CSL (lightweight) version of the E9 coupe is limited numbers; the legendary 500 RHD production run, which with the passage of time has reduced the remaining cars to less than an estimated 150 worldwide.
However few people realise that the entire production run for the RHD version of the CSi was 207 in total, all made between 1973 and 1975. And due to the cost of restoration compared to the values of the CSi, particularly during the 1980s and ‘90s, many of the original 207 are no longer with us (estimated numbers from ‘The BMW Club UK’ are around the 120). This makes the 3.0 CSi one of the rarest BMWs in the world today.
But it’s not all about the numbers. The 3.0 CSi and CSL are identical in every way in terms of body styling save a few minor embellishments – chrome wheel arches and different wheels for example; both cars share the same Karmann body, but the CSi is fitted with light weight steel doors, bonnet and boot lid, where the CSL uses aluminium. The original CSL was fitted with lightweight bumpers, but all the city pack CSLs (which accounts for 90% of CSLs) share the same bumpers as the CSi. The interior on a CSi is better equipped than a CSL, having comfier (but heavier) seating but otherwise both cars have an identical spec. The E9 CSL and CSi models share an identical engine, producing 200bhp from the 2985cc straight six powerplant – a considerable figure for the early 70’s.
Viewing this rare and beautiful car is highly recommended – by appointment only. To find out any further information, or to arrange to come and view the car, please contact a member of the sales team on sales@munichlegends.com or 01825 740456.