The old Bimmers have a charm that the new ones just cannot match. An E9 from the 70s has arrived at Bring-a-Trailer and it certainly looks like one to collect. The German automaker built the E9 from 1968 to 1975. Apart from its classic, stellar looks, the car was also a performance beast back in those days. BMW even built a homologation of this series in the form of the 3.0 CSL model, which was quite successful as a racing car, especially in the European Touring Car Championship and the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft.

The car that the auction site has here is a 3.0 CS, which is the tamed version of the 3.0 CSL, but comes with equipment from the latter. Although it spent most of its years in the U.S., it is now up for sale in Canada. Interested?

What’s So Special About It?

The BMW 3.0 CS that we have here is a 1973 model that was sold new in Switzerland, but was imported to California soon after. In 2002, the car again moved base, this time to Canada. The seller acquired the car in 2018.

The 3.0 CS is finished in Silver on the outside, which is the result of a repaint by the previous owner. The car is not exactly stock in terms of aesthetics. There is a lot of chrome trim used all across the body.

The factory wheels are swapped with a 16-inch Alpina set, but the original set is also included with the car. These wheels are wrapped in 225/50 section Dunlop SP Sport A2 tires on all four corners.

On the inside, the 3.0 CS comes with a blue-themed interior. It comes with Scheel sport seats at the front that are wrapped in blue cloth with matching door panels and carpet. The old-school interior vibes are still present, thanks to the wood trim on the doors, dash, and center console. A Blaupunkt CD player is also in place.

The car also comes with an aftermarket four-spoke Alpina steering-wheel that sits in front of a VDO instrument cluster. This includes a 240-kph speedometer and a 6,400 rpm-redline tachometer. There are gauges for fuel and coolant temperature as well.

What Powers This Beauty?

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. In the stock form, the car roughly takes 8.2 seconds to hit the 60 mph mark from a standstill and has a top speed of 131 mph.

The seller, during his ownership, installed a new battery, spark plugs, ignition points, a distributor cap and rotor, and a fuel pump. Even an oil change was done this year. The owner even installed Bilstein shocks and Carl Nelson springs, and rebuilt the brake calipers. As for the current issues, there is a leak from the power steering pump.

1973 BMW 3.0 CS specifications

Engine

3.0-liter, six-cylinder

Horsepower

177 HP

Torque

188 LB-FT

Transmission

five-speed manual

0 to 60 mph

8.2 seconds

Top Speed

131 mph


Final Thoughts

Unlike most of the cars that we cover, this one is run heavily. The five-digit odometer shows 23,000 km, which is roughly, around 15,000 miles. But, it has been rolled over once, which means the actual mileage is much higher. The seller acquired the car in 2018 and has added around 8,000 miles to it.

With two days left for the auction to close at the time of writing this article, the highest bid for it stands at $46,000. Along with the car, you also get the workshop manuals, a tool kit, factory wheels, spare parts, and a clean Alberta registration.