In
mid-1973 the model was subject to some further upgrades. The engine capacity went to 3,153 cc, with a
small increase in power/torque. Most
noticeable were the aerodynamic additions – the infamous boot-mounted ‘batwing,’
roof-spoiler, deep front spoiler and front wing-top fences.
It
was at that time, with the rapid increase in sales, that the company began to
add to the staff headcount. Several
‘new’ people joined and they tended to be young and possibly
overenthusiastic. Inexperience coupled
with the speed capability of the cars – and the fact that they didn’t handle
especially forgivingly – led to a series of accidents involving company
cars. The violence of some of these was
of a scale to cause fatalities.
Management responded by calling a meeting of all staff at Chiswick Town
Hall, where the riot act was read and we were all compelled to sign a ‘pledge’
that we would not exceed the speed limit or drink alcohol within 24 hours prior
to driving a company-owned BMW. The
serious and sober tone was somewhat undermined when we noted as we filed out of
the building that the directors’ cars parked outside at a jaunty angle, (rather Le
Mans-start style), were all CSLs!
For
1974 a new twin-cam, 24 valve, 3498cc, 440 bhp version of the engine,
designated M49/2/3, was developed and this ‘3.5’ was the basis for the
successful Group 5 CSLs campaigned in 1976. In following seasons power was
further increased with twin turbochargers, eventually to around 750 bhp.
There
were many points of detail that contributed to the CSL’s very distinctive aura,
including the supply of the ‘batwing’ in the boot of the car, (German road
regulations forbidding the fitment of such a device), the ‘outrageous’ price of
£32 for the side stripes as spare parts and the need to close the boot only by
gentle pressure on the rear badge, (the panel skin in alloy being very easily
dented by a hand slam).
On
track, the CSL clearly fulfilled the aspirations of BMW Motorsport. Run in Groups 2, 4 and 5/in the European
Touring Car Championship, the World Championship for Makes and in numerous
national series, the CSL won many races and championships. It was especially dominant in the ETCC
throughout the 1970s, taking the title in no less than six seasons. And this was against the tough competition of
the Ford Capri RS.
And,
aesthetically, the CSL was supreme too.
With the underlying CS styling and the elements added to optimise its
aerodynamic characteristics, the model became the epitome of elegance
coupled with purposefulness. The
‘look’ of these cars was further enhanced by their wearing of some of the most charismatic
liveries of all time, for example:
1973
The
original, primarily white’ ’Motorsport stripes’ livery:
Monza
4 Hours, March 1973 – Toine Hezemans (BMW Motorsport).
The
distinctive orange Jagermeister livery in first use by the Alpina team:
Salzburg
4 Hours, May 1973 – Toine Hezemans (Alpina/Jagermeister).
1974
BMW
Motorsport-entered cars continued to carry the three colour stripes, but now on
black:
Salzburg
4 Hours, April 1974 – Ickx/Stuck (BMW Motorsport) ©Attila Gergasz.
1975
The
BMW Motorsport livery reverted to a white background:
Sebring
12 Hours-winning CSL of Redman/Moffat/Stuck/Posey.
At
Le Mans the first ‘Art Car’ (by Alexander Calder) was run by Herve Poulain:
Driven
by Posey/Poulain/Guichet, the car qualified 11th, but failed to
finish.
Courtesy Peter
Aylward/Petrolicious.
1976
The
Belgian Luigi team established itself as front-running, initially with this
livery:
Pole-sitting
CSL of Hans Stuck at the Touring Car GP, Nurburgring.
Courtesy Lothar Spurzem.
As
seen at Kyalami, the BMW Motorsport cars were in black once again:
This
car was driven to victory in the 1000 kms at the South African circuit
by Grohs/Schecter/Nilsson Courtesy of Johan
Pretorius.
The
Schnitzer team cars (this season with the 3.5 twin-cam engine) appeared in 1976
in the green livery of Austrian beer brewer, Gösser:
Quester/Krebs/Peltier
were running in 8th when forced to retire in
the Le Mans 24
Hours. The car was built and prepared
for Group 5.
1977
The
Luigi team adopted a new striped livery, as seen here at Le Mans:
Dieudonné/Dini
/Xhenceval took the IMSA GT class win in this 3.2 CSL.
A number of CSLs are currently run in Historic events and rich photographic detail is to be found in the following sites: