Ultra-Rare BMW 3.0 CSL Werks Racer Heads To Market Worldwide

Every so often, a car surfaces that is more than just a classic; it is a turning point on wheels. This 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL Werks development car is exactly that – the very first machine built by the fledgling BMW Motorsport division and effectively the opening chapter in BMW M history. Conceived in the early 1970s when BMW decided to back a factory race team under the guidance of Bob Lutz, this CSL was created to push the brand into the front row of touring car competition and to showcase a new blend of lightweight engineering, aero thinking and straight-six power.

Known internally as E9/R1, the car was assembled in late 1972 and early 1973 as the first of just 21 CSL Werks racers, only 11 of which ever turned a wheel in anger for the works squad. It played a key role in developing the now-iconic “Batmobile” aero package, helping to shape the wild wings and spoilers that would define BMW’s competition coupés of the era. After a season in European competition, the CSL crossed the Atlantic for the 1974 IMSA championship with an American team, then disappeared into private hands. By the early 1980s, it had joined a BMW collection, before the current owner acquired it in the mid-1990s and commissioned a meticulous restoration that focused on preserving original parts and specification – a rare feat for any development chassis.

For most of the past three decades, this CSL has lived a very quiet life behind closed doors, emerging only for special occasions. It tackled the hill at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed in pre-homologation trim, giving crowds a brief taste of period BMW works machinery at full song. More recently, it appeared at the Salon Privé Concours d’Elegance in August 2025, wearing its full Batmobile bodywork, complete with the dramatic add-on aero that it helped to validate in period. That combination of genuine factory development provenance, race history and carefully preserved originality makes it one of the most significant BMW competition cars still in private ownership.

Under the skin, the CSL now runs a larger 3.5-litre straight-six producing more than 400 bhp, a specification that underlines just how potent these works cars could be when freed from road-car constraints. Its influence can be seen in BMW’s modern homage, the recent limited-run 3.0 CSL road car with its highly tuned twin-turbo six and bold bodywork inspired by the Batmobile. Together, they bookend more than half a century of M-car history. As this original Werks development CSL heads to market, it offers one committed enthusiast the chance to own not just a rapid BMW coupé, but the very cornerstone of BMW Motorsport as we know it today.