Artsy.
It was 5:30pm, as I was sluggishly driving on SW Freeway 59 on my way home from work, i noticed a flat bed beside me. As the truck rolled forward, i noticed a rare beauty, it was a red 70’s BMW 2002. Oh the body was perfect, paint was immaculate, original factory rims, no tint, it was a like a lady in her chariot heading to the spa.
I was enjoying it’s beauty for at least 10mins, then I thought to my self, ” Nostalgic Wednesday eh?!”; NAH, maybe next week. Because my mind started to drift away from the 2002 and shifted my thoughts to it’s hotter sister -The BMW 3.0 CSL a.k.a. (or her stripper name) “the Batmobile” .
The first 3.0 CSL was introduced in 1972 by BMW Motorsports. The “Batmobile” was another product of homologation, wherein the car had to be produced in a minimum number of units and road worthiness, inorder for it to be eligible to compete in the European Touring Car Championship. Derived from the E9 chasis, The BMW 3.0 was powered by a liter six-cylinder engine that produced 180 horsepower.
Displacement size was increased to 3.2-liters beginning in 1973, and 3.5-liters respectively though it still retained the ‘3.0 CSL’. The batmobile was stripped down of its luxurious interior and trimming thus to be named CSL wherein the L in the CSL meant “leicht”( Coupé Sport Licht).
The CSL’s downforce was improved by adding a deep front air dam, widened the fenders, and added the insanely large rear wing which earned its nickname, the ‘Batmobile.’
body kit, stickers and a huge wing...yes!
The one thing I love about the road version was it was released without the huge wing installed. The wing was so ginormous that it was illegal for road use. Since the car is a homologated special, they had to include the wing with the package or else they would have been disqualified from the races, fortunately they did (it’s in the trunk for the owner to install). lol smart move BMW; wish they did this with Evo’s and STi’s, it would definitely made a ricer like me excited.
the first car to sport the BMW motorsports colors.
The ‘Batmobile’ earned it’s place in the podium in multiple races. Only 1,039 3.0 CSL road versions were built, wherein one of ETCC’s rules is producing a minimum of 1,000 units to qualify.
the Batmobile with main competitors, Ford Capris and the Porsche 911.
Now, going back to the 2002, it’s one of BMW’s favorite classics but the 3.0 CSL is one of the reasons why BMW lives up to it’s mission as the “Ultimate Driving Machine”.
-mark@MaydayGarage.