What’s your favorite classic BMW? Are you a typical E30 and E28 kind of guy, or are you more into the company’s gorgeous, pre-WW2 vehicles like the 327 and 328? Or maybe you’re a fan of BMW’s 1960s and 1970s creations before the ubiquitous 3, 5, and 7 Series models arrived? I fall into the latter category; thanks for asking!
Whether it’s the New Class, the 02 Series, or the New Six coupes and sedans (E9 and E3), I’m a big fan of all 1960s and 1970s Bimmers. That’s simply because they’re outstandingly beautiful. It may also have something to do with me growing up with a New Class coupe, but that’s a different story.
Picking just one would be challenging, but if you insist, I will go with the E9, the predecessor to the first-generation 6 Series. Built from 1968 to 1975, the E9 is the ultimate Bimmer in my book. It looks the part, it was designed by the legendary Wilhelm Hofmeister, and it draws juice from the iconic M30 inline-six, BMW’s longest-running engine. Oh, and it also spawned the beefed-up 3.0 CSL, which morphed into a very successful race car.
Despite its long production run, the E9 rolled off the assembly line in a little more than 30,000 units. The 3.0 CSL is among the rarest, with only 1,265 examples made, including right-hand-rive cars. It’s also the most desirable due to its high-performance internals. The 3.0 CSi is the most common at 7,935 examples, while the 2800 CS, the first iteration of the E9, moved 6,283 cars.
But all E9s are rare regardless of the badge because fewer examples survived to see 2023. And most of those that did are awaiting restoration to hit public roads again. Some are still locked up in barns and garages as all-original survivors. This 1970 2800 CS is one of those cars.
Featured on the latest episode of “The Late Brake Show,” this Bimmer is spending its life in a garage somewhere in Wales, and it hasn’t been driven on public roads since 1985. The current owner retired it after driving it for just a few months because the repairs needed to pass the annual MOT test were too expensive relative to the car’s value.
Come 2023, and the Bimmer shows extensive rust on the front fenders, but it’s still in good condition otherwise. It still has the original Colorado paint (albeit faded), all the interior trim, and the numbers-matching inline-six under the hood. The 2800 CS left the factory with a 2.8-liter version of the M30, rated at 168 horsepower. BMW later introduced 3.0-, 3.2-, and 2.5-liter variants of the mill.
How rare is this specific version of the 2800 CS? Well, it’s one of 6,283 units if we consider the entire 1968-to-1971 run of the model. However, it’s also one of only 3,335 examples built in 1970. It should be rarer than that since it’s a right-hand-drive version, but there’s no statistic regarding LHD and RHD production for the 2800 CS. But based on figures available for other E9 versions, I’d say it’s one of fewer than 1,500 units built like this. The Colorado hue probably makes it much scarcer, but I don’t have a precise number to run by.
Either way, the E9 is a stunning survivor after almost 40 years in storage and a classic that should definitely find its way back on public roads. The story goes that the owner struggled to raise the funds to fix the rust issues and make it road-worthy again. But now that Jonny Smith and his friends got the inline-six going again, hopefully, he’ll find a way to get the car out of hibernation.