One of only 169 carburettor CSLs
Converted into the Batmobile in the 1970s
Presumably used in several races in the late 1970s
Owned by the seller's father since the early 1990s
A piece of Bavarian motorsport history
With original engine block
Matching numbers

In 1971 – BMW Motorsport GmbH had not yet been founded – all efforts in Munich were focused on developing the new 3.0 CSL. The 2800 CS and 3.0 CS from Alpina and Schnitzer were regularly beaten by the Ford Capris on the race tracks – a humiliation that Munich was no longer willing to accept. While a coupé was sent to Ralph Broad and his Broadspeed team in England to finally make the E9 competitive, the team in Munich worked with Alpina to fine-tune the homologation series models of the Coupé Sport Leichtbau, or CSL for short.

Weight was saved wherever possible: thinner sheet metal on the body, aluminium bonnets and doors, Plexiglas for the rear window, lighter carpeting. In the end, the CSL weighed around 215 kilograms less than the series CS. Its 180 hp carburettor engine remained unchanged at first, but thanks to the weight reduction, the CSL could now sprint to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds. In the background, work was already underway on the fuel-injected engine, which first appeared in the CSi and was also available in the CSL from August 1972. After 169 lightweight coupés with carburettor engines had been built, the CSL was given a slightly increased displacement from 2,985 to 3,003 cm³. As with the CSi, the official power output was stated as 200 hp. Another new feature was a "city package" that made the CSL more comfortable: conventional bumpers, the chassis of the CSi and the omission of aluminium bonnets and doors. A total of 429 units were produced in this second series, around a third of which had the city package. In addition, 500 right-hand-drive models were manufactured for England.

The final version of the CSL followed in 1973, now modelled on the racing cars with huge spoilers at the front, rear and roof – the reason for its legendary nickname "Batmobile". The engine was bored out to 3,153 cm³ and produced 206 hp. By 1974, 167 units of this version had been produced.

This CSL comes from the first series and is one of the 169 carburettor vehicles. Little is known about its early years. A duplicate of the papers from 1988 names Josef Reindl from Kitzbühel, to whom the original individual approval was issued in 1973. Apparently, the car was equipped with the Batmobile's wing package early on. The rear left side window features numerous old stickers from motorsport events in the late 1970s. It is quite possible that this CSL took part in these events – after all, who would have their BMW extensively modified without then putting it to use? This chapter of its history remains to be clarified by the new owner.

In the early 1990s, the father of the seller was able to purchase and restore the CSL. He installed a roll cage and had a suitable engine built, but put the original block aside – a wise decision, as it is still part of the vehicle today, while many other CSLs are left without their original engines. The car was repainted in its original "Inca" colour, and the chrome wheel arch extensions were deliberately omitted: the owner preferred it without them.

A few years after his father's death, his son reactivated the CSL. Although it still needs some work to get it back on the road, this is a rare opportunity to own a Bavarian motorsport icon whose history is sure to hold many positive surprises when researched in detail.