Having been quite active in the local classic car scene for about ten years now there are certain ‘local’ classics that I have particularly good memories of. The BMW 3.0 CSI we are reviewing today being one of them. I remember I first met the car at David Riach’s Hong Kong Classic Car and Vintage Festival at the Central harbour front in 2014 when the BMW was assigned to park next to my then 1988 Mercedes Benz 560SEC (which I miss dearly). We were doing some last minute detailing on our cars before the show opened and as always I was so ill-prepared I didn’t even have a towel. The BMW’s owner kindly lent me his cleaning kit and, naturally, we talked about cars for the remainder of the afternoon. The owner was one of the first friends I made from the Classic Car Club of Hong Kong and he remains to be part of the group of closer friends that I have within the Club. So in a way, this car was a part of my journey into the classic car world right at the very beginning.
The BMW we are reviewing today is a 1973 3.0 CSI. Known internally as the “E9” model, BMW first introduced it in 1968 in the form of the 2800 CS. In 1971, BMW introduced the 3.0 CS and 3.0 CSI models, both having a 3 litre, inline 6, single overhead cam engine. The difference being that the 3.0 CS had carburetors and produced 180 horsepower while the 3.0 CSI was fuel injected and produced 200 horsepower (hence the “I” in the name CSI).
Most people who are unfamiliar with classic BMW’s (which, admittedly, I was one of them) do not know much about the CSI, as all their focus would be on the CSL model – the limited and lightweight homologation version of the E9 that BMW released in order to join the Group 2 European Touring Car Championship back in the 1970’s. The CSL was actually based on the CSI but it shaved off 210KG by using thinner body panels and aluminium for certain body parts like the engine bonnet. The engine was based on the 3.0 CSI with only a slight increase in engine capacity from 2,986cc to 3,153cc. Power output was therefore only a handful more than the CSI. This shows the racing pedigree and importance of the 3.0 CSI, for without it, there could arguably be no CSL, the race car that won multiple European Touring Car Championship titles in the 70’s.
Sitting in the car it immediately gives the typical 70’s vibe with very good visibility thanks to the ultra-thin A and C pillars, the seats are typical 70’s fabric, and there are lots of wood in the cabin. The car is easy to start as it is fuel injected. Despite being fuel injected, the engine note still sounds potent and thick. The clutch is not particularly heavy, the gear shift is tight and precise, although because it is a 4-speed manual, the gears are noticeably long. One thing that needed getting used to was the throttle. It is quite hard and sticky, and you need to confidently step on it way down when you try to set off from a standstill. Once on the road, the car feels good and comfortable with very reasonable suspension travels. It is not a light car (for the 70’s) at about 1,400kg, and since it does not have a lazy V8 engine, it is not particularly torquey either. However, once you get the momentum going, the car is reasonably quick and takes corners firmly and confidently. BMW’s claim of being “the ultimate driving machine” clearly started very early on.
The owner of this car told me that, originally, he was attracted to the 6 series that replaced the E9. However, one day in the 1990’s while sitting in a traffic jam in Singapore, the owner saw a beautifully shaped car passed by, which he later realized was an E9. He fell in love and began his search for his very own E9 shortly after. He finally found the right car in the UK in 2011 and bought it immediately before putting it through a 2-year restoration. The car is largely original with matching numbers with the exception of the colour, the carpets, and the Alpina wheels, which were chosen per the owner’s personal taste. I must say that even though the light blue exterior colour and the red carpets are not original, they certainly go very well together.
There are not many E9’s left in this world as many have rusted away (there’s a recurring joke that coachbuilder Karmann put the car together with the rust on since day one), and they are certainly rare in Hong Kong. We are very blessed that the owner of this E9 uses it regularly and brings it out to all Classic Car Club events. I thank the owner for his passion and his generosity for letting us review his beautiful 3.0 CSI.
Thank you as always to the team for their hard work!
Moray Wedderburn (IG: @moraywedderburn)
Alex (http://www.taipanmedia.com)
Dave (Email: david@lemonadeandgiggles.com)
Alex C. (IG: @nofishshark)
See our review video here: