SILK ISSUE • n° 34 • 2023
REBIRTH OF A LEGEND
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the car that enabled it dominate motorsport during the 1970s the Munich-based company has relaunched an iconic model once known as the “Batmobile”, the BMW 3.0 CSL
by Diego Tamone- ph. courtesy by BMW
With their yellow light, the Laser Light headlights are a specific reference to GT racing cars. They come on when high beam or dipped headlights are activated
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Front engine, manual transmission and rear-wheel drive – the enduring recipe for thrills and spectacle in touring car racing, enabling drivers to experience sheer driving pleasure while at the wheel of their everyday car. Although in recent times excellent electronic systems that have raised the bar for safety standards, they have also caused a levelling-out in drivers’ performance, making talent, flair and character less urgent priorities. The successful formula quoted at the beginning of this article was intensely fashionable in the 1970s, a golden decade of motorsport where instinct dominated, curves were taken with vicious slides and drivers received feedback from their cars through the seat rather than steering wheel. But above all it was a decade where all types of car were driven to provide the adrenaline rush of a motor race, not just open racers and sleek coupes but also unexpected saloons – three-box cars, in fact, like the BMW 3.0 CSL. The company began using this model in 1973 for the European Touring Car Championship, gaining a string of six victories between then and 1979. However, if the car was to be certified for track use, the regulations of the day demanded that it
must also be produced in a small run of road legal units. To fulfil this requirement, BMW manufactured a total of 1,265. The name reveals the strategy behind the initiative - CSL stands for Coupé, Sport, Leichtbau (“lightweight build”) - with no attempt made to conceal the purpose behind the car’s creation – to win. This fourwheeled object inspired its own cult, and today it’s a true collection piece, sold with the rear spoiler dismounted and stowed in the boot as it is not certified. Fifty years on 1973, BMW is celebrating this iconic car with a special edition of the new BMW 3.0 CSL, an authentic contemporary reincarnation of the legend. Even more exclusive than the original as only fifty numbered examples have been produced, intended this time only for road use. But it shares its forerunner’s artisanal construction, from the interior components in CFRP, its livery and assembly, handled by a team of specially-trained technicians. Carbon has replaced aluminium but the car’s essential character remains untouched – powerful yet stripped-down, no rear seats and insulating materials cut to a minimum. Aesthetic touches include widened wheel arches, a small roof spoiler and a large spoiler on the tail, the most significant
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Three-box shape, exactly like the 1973 original. The number on the doors recalls the anniversary of the 3.0 CSL. Opposite page, a preliminary sketch by BMW’s creative studio
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elements in an unambiguous aerodynamic package. Power is provided by a 3-litre, six-cylinder in-line engine that over the past fifty years has grown from 206 to 560 Cv and provides a maximum torque of 550 Nm. The whole package is rounded off with an Alpine White livery with blue, violet and red longitudinal bands, BMW’s trademark motor racing colour scheme. bmw.com
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A view of the interior of the new BMW 3.0 CSL. The sporty cockpit has been lightened by the use of CFRP, the transmission is strictly manual and the full bucket seats are carbon fibre