In 1968 BMW unveiled their New Six CS series, it was to be the leading light of their Neue Klasse (new class) and its distinctive, almost Jetsons-esque, styling caused quite the sensation. The engineers at Bayerische Motoren Werke had gone all out on the underpinnings for the model range, it out-handled almost anything else in its class thanks to its independent front and rear suspension, balanced front/rear weight distribution and exceedingly well-engineered drivetrain.
The model had evolved from the original 2000C and 2000CS, into the slightly more handsome 2800CS, and by 1971 it stepped forward again thanks to a new bored-out version of the straight-6. It now had a capacity of 2,986cc and was offered in two main variants – the 180hp 3.0CS and the 200hp 3.0 CSi.
The CSi version had a Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection system installed, making it the second most powerful car in the history of the Six CS – after the venerable 3.0CSL.
The iconic styling of the Six CS cars was coach-built by Karmann, which at the time was the largest independent motor vehicle manufacturing company in Germany. The straight-6 used in the New Six CS series from the 2800CS onwards was BMW’s M30, a SOHC power unit that would stay in production for 28 years and go on to be rated one of the best engines of the 20th century.
The 3.0 CSi you see here was rebuilt in-period by German tuning house Alpina, it now sports the legendary “batmobile” aluminium bodykit, an upgraded 3.5-litre engine equipped with triple Weber 45 carburettors, a 5-speed manual transmission, a custom-made stainless steel straight-through exhaust, race-spec twin boot-mounted fuel fillers, and 12″ wide front/14″ wide rear wheels.
With an estimated value of somewhere just north of £50,000 this particular CSi represents remarkable value for money – especially if vintage sports car prices keep travelling in their current direction. If you’d like to read more about this car you can click here to visit Bonhams.
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
