Street Sighting ~ BMW E9 (3.0 CSL)

First day of the new year and what a day to be a bloke on his way to the shops... But first some looking back in time.

Growing up I've been fortunate to be surrounded by neighbours with cool cars, usually something classic and an MX-5 to flog. One of these neighbours, Ian, had an MX-5, a hot Alfa Romeo hatch and a beautiful BMW E3.

Being honest, as a teenager none of these cars really appealed to me. My old man on the other-hand would see the beamer parked out front and make an excuse to go have a look. In fact I would often get persuaded into going with Dad to see what cars were parked there, as Ian's mates would often have equally intriguing cars. One time that meant having a gander at a freshly imported Ferrari from Japan.

 

Ian sold off some of his cars as his health rapidly declined and he eventually passed away. I remember he went back and fourth on whether he was going to sell the beamer. It was a beautiful orange colour and so well maintained I picture it in my mind flawlessly. I felt a deep sadness when his partner eventually left the neighbourhood. The farewell party was nice, we had some drinks in the garage which by then was empty but still had man cave photos and stickers on the walls. A framed photo - two formula one cars taking the hairpin at the end of the Brabham straight during the Adelaide Grand Prix now resides in my room. Hopefully one day we can have the Formula One in SA again.

 

Now to get this story back on track, I was headed down to the Vietnamese Bakery to see when they reopen - every year they leave a note on the door. On the way I spotted this BMW E9 which triggered memories of Ian and instincts to notify my old man.

This E9 was an absolute delicacy of a car to cross paths with. One of only 55 first iteration E9 CSL Golf Yellow beamers, it's not the kind of car you'd expect to be curbside.

And while I'm so far from being qualified or even well versed in the BMW world I am stupid enough to state that in the gene pool of BMW eugenics this is about as pure bred as they come and a far cry from the current crop of inbred options, like an X1.

And the reason this car is one of the best comes down to the 3-letter formula displayed all over the car. E = mc² may express the fact that mass and energy are the same physical entity and can be changed into each other - Britannica, but CSL is the the three critical ingredients for making a good car. 

Coupe, Sport, Light.

And this E9 is a meal served by BMW back when it had a few Michelin stars.

I found some of the stickers on this car quite interesting. Notably the 91' & 92' Dutton GP Rally stickers which would imply this car participated in the tarmac display rallies prior to the Adelaide Formula One Grand Prix.

 

And impressively a 2025 membership Sports Car Drivers SA sticker on the car, Jan first. Not a bad way to start the new year. 

My writing skills limit me but take my word for it, I was so pumped to see this car. Partly because it's the New Year, Adelaide is really quiet and I have been feeling a little anxious about how this year might pan out - but all of that faded out once I got closer to the car. 

With a quiet suburban backdrop and the sun on the back of my neck I made sure to take a minute before I left to just enjoy the seventies lime paint, balanced use of chrome, Alpina finned alloys, circular quad lights that all give this E9 CSL a very handsome look. What a machine.

I'd imagine in a carbureted beamer I wouldn't want any music to distract me. But when I continued on my quest to the bakery I chose to play Lazy by Collective X-Press 2 which features vocals from David Byrne. Happy New Year.