I’ll warn you now that this is not a story about Porsches. It’s a story about a BMW 3.0CSL, and Motorclassica. Max doesn’t want any complaints about “that wasn’t a 911 story…”, and that sort of thing, so if you’re easily offended, look away now!
For the past two and a half years I’ve been doing a restoration of a quite rare, and to my eye, beautiful car, an E9 BMW 3.0CSL. I purchased the car in Sydney, and having trailered it down to home, commissioned a pretty much, spare no expense restoration of it.
If you know these cars, you know that they habitually convert themselves over time to a small pile of red flakes on the garage floor, so starting the restoration was a little like leaping of a precipice in total darkness, not quite knowing how deep the fall might be.
Pretty soon we knew it was a good shell – battered but solid, so we went to work.
Long story short, it was earlier in the year that a friend at BMW asked if I could have the CSL ready by October, as they were doing a substantial display at Motorclassica, celebrating the company’s centenary. Looking at pretty much a gorgeously painted shell and a pile of parts I gulped, said yes, then went and told the lads I’d promised a deadline.
It’s funny how a deadline makes things happen! Within weeks wiring was threading its way through the car, it grew suspension, an engine and gearbox, doors that actually opened and closed, and glass. The day I got to the workshop and the car was sitting there idling it was actually quite emotional, I’m happy to admit!
Next it was off to the trimmer. A four month search had landed four metres of the correct cloth for the standard Scheel bucket seats and the rear seats, and the trimmer had located the correct carpet for the car. Neither cheap, but essential to getting it right. The only part that never arrived was a door card for the passenger door, a problem with the remanufacture delaying that.
Once the interior was custom fitted, along with the restored timber dashboard and door caps, the car was pretty much ready to go.
On the Tuesday before Motorclassica, I was still heading out to collect trim parts from UPS in Tullamarine, and tyres from Continental in Preston, and standing back with a beer that night, the car was declared done!
Motorclassica as most will know is an amazing event, with hundreds of world class cars inside the Royal Exhibition Buildings, and hundreds more outside on a changing cycle of marque and club displays.
Our fears that the car might not be up to scratch were allayed within minutes when the crew from BMW crawled all over it, all excited. On opening the door, one lady surfaced declaring that it was a new car, if the smell was any indication!
The three days of the event were a blur of enthusiastic faces, compliments, photo opportunities, friends, and gentle enquiries as to whether it might be for sale! I hadn’t anticipated the excitement and love that people held for this particular model. The most unexpected people declared love for it, either long standing (“I have a photo on the wall of Peter Brock driving one of these!”) or newfound, (“I’d never seen one of these until today – how do I get one?).
Great fun. I’d declared that the car would never be a Concours car, yet its debut was at the biggest Concours de Elegance in the Southern Hemisphere!
As I was looking at the car through my beer on the Tuesday before the event, I swore I was done with restoring cars. On the Sunday afternoon, waiting to drive my car from the Royal Exhibition Buildings I did the deal to get my next restoration project. I think I’ve found a new drug!
My first drive of the car was out of Motorclassica, to home! It drove beautifully, cruised on 70mph (indicated) on the freeway. All four forward gears and even reverse worked. It’s very leisurely by Porsche standards – so much softer than my Carrera, but the overall feel isn’t dissimilar.
Once it’s fettled and sorted, I can’t wait to cruise around in it, music playing from the Becker Europa (AM and FM no less!), fat arming it around.
Now, when I say I did the restoration, mine was the easy part – I wrote the cheques and found the bits!
So, on to gratuitous plugs…
Oven Baked Enamel Services – 34 Molan Street, Ringwood. Their paint and panel work is amazing. Their guys actually know aluminium (essential with a CSL) and steel, and the paint is just amazing. The best in the business bar none! Call Dick Richey 9870 0052 and chat with him.
OZ Trim – 2A Olive Grove, Ringwood – I call Alan, the Wizard of Oz Trim. The best bloke I can imagine to do this project. Big or small part, the attention to detail and getting it right was incredible. The interior of the car is the star. Alan 9870 2747
John Nicholls – the master of timber dashboards and trim. Started making Maton guitars and still turning out hit makers, just this time in cars! 9874 1329
The 3.0 CSL was an homologation edition from what was to become BMW’s M Sport division (the first M Car). Aluminium panels, thinner steel, and a 3003cc engine (over 3 litre class, bigger wheels, brakes etc) made it lighter and faster.
It was homologated to compete against the contemporary 911s and Ford Capris in European Touring cars.
And in the day, it retailed for substantially more than the revered 911 2.7RS. I can’t wait for the market to catch up on that point!
By David James