# BMW 3.0 CS (E9 coupe)
Source: https://fullysorted.com/research/models/bmw/e9-3-0-cs
Publisher: Fully Sorted (fullysorted.com), collector car research
Last updated: 2026-10-01

## Key facts
- Make: BMW
- Model: 3.0 CS
- Generation: E9 coupe
- Factory code: E9
- Years: 1968 to 1975
- Body styles: 2-door pillarless 4-seat coupe, steel body built by Karmann, 2-door lightweight homologation coupe (3.0 CSL) with aluminum doors, hood and trunk lid
- Engines: 2,788 cc M30 SOHC inline six, twin Zenith carburetors, about 168-170 hp at 6,000 rpm (2800 CS, 1968-1971); 2,986 cc M30 SOHC inline six, twin Zenith carburetors, about 180 hp at 6,000 rpm in European tune; US cars ran 8:1 compression and no US-specific output figure was found (3.0 CS, 1971-1975); 2,986 cc M30 SOHC inline six, Bosch D-Jetronic electronic fuel injection, about 200 hp at 5,500 rpm and 201 lb-ft (3.0 CSi, 1971-1975, not sold new in the US); 2,986 cc, then 3,003 cc from August 1972, then 3,153 cc M30 inline six in the 3.0 CSL; final road version about 203-206 hp at 5,600 rpm and 211 lb-ft at 4,200 rpm (not sold new in the US)
- Production notes: Two production tables circulate for the E9 and they do not agree to the car. The table reproduced on Wikipedia, which it attributes to a numbered reference, totals 30,546 coupes from 1968 to 1975. The table posted to the e9coupe.com club forum by a long-time member, and linked from the BMW CS Registry as its production and VIN reference, totals 30,565 by year and 30,565 again when the two VIN-range blocks (25,491 to September 1973, 5,074 after) are added. The difference sits in the 3.0 CSL: the club table splits the early carbureted CSLs differently between 1971 and 1972 (marking one figure as estimated) and adds 21 factory racing CSLs whose years are unknown. The e9coupe.com FAQ rounds the whole run to approximately 30,000 and gives the span as 1968 to 1976, while Sports Car Market says CSL production ceased in December 1975. For that reason no single total is given here. The US count needs the most care. Both tables carry four lines labeled USA (641 2800 CS, 526 2800 CSA, 1,368 3.0 CS and 1,189 3.0 CSA, 3,724 in all), but the club table adds a note that those 3,724 cars were destined for North and South America, of which Hoffman imported 2,953, or 79 percent, into the US. Any US figure printed elsewhere without that caveat is an Americas figure, not a US one. A third conflict is a misattribution rather than a disagreement: RM Sotheby's lot copy for a 1973 3.0 CS says 7,935 were built from 1971 to 1975 with 2,741 in 1973, but both tables assign exactly those figures to the injected 3.0 CSi, not the carbureted CS. No verified US list price by model year was found; the club FAQ gives about $10,000 at launch rising to about $16,000 by 1974, and that is the only dollar figure found.

## Summary
The E9 is BMW's Karmann-bodied pillarless coupe of 1968 to 1975, built around the M30 six and sold first as the 2800 CS, then from 1971 as the carbureted 3.0 CS, the injected 3.0 CSi and the lightweight 3.0 CSL homologation special. For an American buyer the line is narrower than the catalog: Max Hoffman imported the 2800 CS and then only the carbureted 3.0 CS, at 8:1 compression with side markers and, for 1974, 5 mph aluminum bumpers. The CSi, the CSL and the late 2.5 CS were never sold new here, so any of them in the US came over privately. Both club and encyclopedia production tables put total E9 output a little over 30,500, and they list 3,724 cars to USA specification, but the club table notes that only 2,953 of those were actually imported into the US. The CSL, nicknamed the Batmobile for its wing, won the European Touring Car Championship six times and gave BMW its first major US sports car win at Sebring in 1975. The thing that decides an E9's value is rust: Karmann's body traps dirt under the front fenders and rots the shock towers from the inside. As of September 2026 classic.com puts the 3.0 CS at a $63,952 benchmark.

## Specifications
- power: About 180 hp at 6,000 rpm for the carbureted 3.0 CS and about 200 hp at 5,500 rpm for the injected CSi, European ratings; no published US-specification output was found for the 8:1 compression US car
- brakes: Discs front; rear drums on the 2800 CS, rear discs from the 3.0 cars in 1971
- engine: M30 SOHC inline six: 2,788 cc (2800 CS), 2,986 cc (3.0 CS and CSi), 3,003 cc and 3,153 cc (3.0 CSL)
- layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel drive, pillarless 2+2 coupe
- length: 183.5 in (4,660 mm), single source (Wikipedia)
- torque: 3.0 CS 173 lb-ft at 3,700 rpm per Wikipedia's table, or 180 lb-ft per Retro Rides (disputed); 3.0 CSi 201 lb-ft; 3,153 cc CSL 211 lb-ft at 4,200 rpm
- weight: 3.0 CSi about 3,131 lb per Retro Rides; 3.0 CSL about 2,756 lb per Retro Rides, against the club FAQ's barely 2,500 lb for a stripped CSL and about 2,800 lb with the city package
- chassis: Steel unit body built by Karmann at Rheine, derived from the BMW New Class 2000 CS; 3.0 CSL with thinner-gauge steel and aluminum doors, hood and trunk lid
- wheelbase: 103.3 in (2,624 mm), single source (Wikipedia)
- suspension: MacPherson struts front, semi-trailing arms rear, coil springs and anti-roll bars
- fuel_system: Twin Zenith downdraft carburetors (2800 CS, 3.0 CS); Bosch D-Jetronic electronic injection (3.0 CSi and later CSL)
- us_importer: Max Hoffman (Hoffman Motors Corp); there was no BMW of North America until after the E9
- acceleration: Street CSL 0-60 mph in about 7.0 to 7.5 seconds and 3.0 CSi about 8.0 seconds per Sports Car Market; Retro Rides cites 7.7 seconds to 62 mph for a manual CSi
- transmission: Four-speed manual (Getrag on the 3.0 cars) or three-speed Borg-Warner automatic (CSA); many cars now carry retrofitted five-speeds
- us_price_new: No verified US list price by model year found; club FAQ gives about $10,000 at launch and about $16,000 by 1974
- us_specification: 8:1 compression, side marker lights front and rear, shoulder belts, raised front ride height for sealed-beam headlight rules, EGR from the later cars, 5 mph aluminum bumpers for 1974

## Notable variants
- 2800 CS and 2800 CSA (1968-1971): The first E9, with the 2,788 cc six and the rear drum brakes and narrow rear track carried over from the four-cylinder 2000 CS. The first US cars, imported by Hoffman; 641 manual and 526 automatic cars were built to the USA specification.
- 3.0 CS, US specification (1971-1974 US model years): The only E9 BMW sold new in the US: carbureted, 8:1 compression, side marker lights, and from 1974 the protruding 5 mph aluminum bumpers. Most arrived with leather, air conditioning, sunroof and power windows. 1,368 manual and 1,189 automatic USA-specification cars, before the Americas caveat in the production notes.
- 3.0 CSi (1971-1975): Bosch D-Jetronic injection and about 200 hp, the quickest regular E9. Never officially sold in the US, though a number arrived gray-market, usually in European trim with cloth seats and no air conditioning. 7,935 left-hand-drive cars per both production tables.
- 3.0 CSL (1972-1975): The homologation lightweight, with thinner body steel and aluminum doors, hood and trunk lid. Not sold in the US. About 1,265 road cars including 500 right-hand-drive cars for the UK, which kept more of the standard equipment. Many carry the city package that put the comforts back.
- 3.0 CSL 3,153 cc "Batmobile" (1973-1975): The final road CSL with the larger engine and the aero kit of air dam, fender fins, roof spoiler and a tall rear wing shipped loose in the trunk. 110 built in 1973 and 57 more to the end, 167 in total, per both Sports Car Market and the club VIN table.
- 2.5 CS (1974-1975): The fuel-crisis E9 with the 2,494 cc six. 844 built by the club table (600 manual, 244 automatic), none exported to the US. Context for a US buyer only: any 2.5 CS here is a private import.

## History

### Why it exists

BMW's four-cylinder 2000 CS coupe of 1965 had a pretty tail and an awkward nose, and in 1968 the company had a new six, the M30, in the E3 sedan. The E9 was the cheap way to marry them: Karmann, which already built the 2000 CS body, stretched the wheelbase and the engine bay and gave the car a nose that matched the sedan, with Wilhelm Hofmeister credited as lead designer. Hagerty's Rob Siegel points out that from the tail to the windshield the 2800 CS was basically the 2000 CS body. The economy showed underneath. The first car kept the old coupe's rear drum brakes and narrow rear track, so the 2800 sedan was the better-braked car, and that was not corrected until the 3.0 engine arrived in 1971 with rear discs. Wikipedia dates the 2800 CS to 1968, and the club production table shows 138 built that year; Siegel, writing in Hagerty, places it a year after the 1968 E3 sedan.

### The American car

There was no BMW of North America when the E9 was new. US cars came through Max Hoffman, and the e9coupe.com FAQ dates official US models from 1970 to 1974. One owner on the club forum has the paperwork to show how that worked: his 1971 2800 CS was built on October 1, 1970 and delivered to Hoffman Motors Corp on October 19. The US got the 2800 CS and then only the carbureted 3.0 CS, with compression cut to 8:1, side marker lights, shoulder belts, spacers that raised the front about an inch for sealed-beam headlight height, and for 1974 the protruding 5 mph aluminum bumpers. Siegel's description of the US cars is that nearly all were fully loaded, with leather, power windows, sunroof and air conditioning. The injected CSi was not imported, though gray-market cars came in, usually in European trim with cloth and no air conditioning.

### What the period press said

RM Sotheby's lot copy for two US 3.0 CS cars quotes Road & Track calling the engine "without a doubt, the most sophisticated inline-six in the world." The same magazine also printed the other side. The 2800 CS mentioned above was the subject of its original owner's own, not very flattering, ownership review in the July 1973 Road & Track, after which he sold it and bought a 3.0 CS. No period US road test with instrumented figures could be fetched for this page; the published acceleration figures here come from later journalism and are labeled as such.

### The CSL and the Batmobile

Introduced in May 1972, the 3.0 CSL was built to homologate the coupe for the European Touring Car Championship. The L stood for leicht: thinner body steel, aluminum doors, hood and trunk lid, plastic side windows, and the trim and sound deadening deleted. Its engine grew to 3,003 cc in August 1972 so the race cars could run in the over-three-liter class, then to 3,153 cc in 1973 with an aero package of air dam, fender fins, roof spoiler and a tall rear wing. The wing was illegal on German roads, so it was shipped in the trunk for the owner to fit, and the look earned the name Batmobile. Sports Car Market counts 110 of these built in 1973 and 57 more to December 1975. The CSL was the first product of the new Motorsport division, the first BMW Art Car was a CSL painted by Alexander Calder, and in 1975 a CSL gave BMW its first major sports car win in the US at the 12 Hours of Sebring. None were sold new here.

### The end

The last variant, the 2.5 CS of 1974, answered the oil crisis and was never exported to the US. The E24 6 Series replaced the line after 1975. What survives is a car that BMW built cheaply on an old body and that Karmann built without much rust protection, which is why the condition of the metal, not the badge, sets the price today.

## What to look for

Start with the metal, because the e9coupe.com FAQ is blunt that rust is a coupe killer and that body and interior parts are now mostly sourced from parts cars. Hagerty's Rob Siegel describes a trap under the front fenders where dirt collects, stays wet and rots the shock towers, fenders and firewall from the inside, so that perforation at the bottom of the fenders means the damage is already advanced. Look at the join between the inner and outer fenders under the hood, inside the rocker panels, around the rear subframe mounts, the wheel arches, the trunk floor and the window surrounds. A sunroof car with a stained headliner may have a rusted roof around the opening. On an E9 the rear of each front fender forms the corner of the windshield frame, so fender replacement means the windshield comes out, and evidence of that work deserves an explanation. Then identify the car. A US 3.0 CS should show the 8:1 compression engine, side markers, the steering column VIN tag the FAQ describes and, on a 1974, the big aluminum bumpers. US 1973 model-year cars begin at VIN 2240391 for manual cars and 2250319 for automatics in the club VIN table. A CSi or CSL in the US arrived privately, and a CSL claim needs the VIN to fall in the CSL ranges; the club table also lists 169 early carbureted lightweights hidden inside the 3.0 CS VIN range. BMW's archive can confirm build date, original model and color from the VIN. Many cars now carry larger engines, five-speeds or Weber carburetors, which the FAQ says can be neutral to value when done well and which purists discount.

## Common problems

The M30 itself is durable. The e9coupe.com FAQ puts engine life past 300,000 miles between rebuilds with valve adjustments every 15,000 miles, and says the timing chain normally lasts the life of the engine. Its weak point in the US is heat: the FAQ says the M30 in an E9 can be prone to head gaskets because the stock cooling was designed for European climates, and recommends replacing the five-blade fan with a nine-blade fan and an updated clutch, or recoring the radiator. A reprinted buyer's guide on the club forum adds that contaminated oil usually means a cracked head and that a test drive should be long enough to check for overheating. The same guide lists differential oil leaks, worn driveshaft flex joints, power steering that is vague at center or squeals at full lock, two brake boosters that can fail (a pedal that sinks with the engine running is the test), slow electric windows, cracked dash wood and sun-damaged velour. On the original 2800 CS manual cars there were synchromesh complaints that the 3.0 gearbox addressed. The body is the expensive problem. Rust, Karmann's indifferent corrosion protection and the hidden fender trap are covered above, and Siegel's own repair history shows why: new nose and fender panels, cutting off the old fenders and welding in new ones, and a new windshield because the fenders are lap-seamed to its frame. NHTSA's recall database returns no campaigns for BMW E9 model years, so there are no factory recalls to check.

## Market notes

As of September 2026 classic.com puts its market benchmark for the 3.0 CS at $63,952 with an average price of $66,048. Its recorded range runs from $9,400 for a 1975 3.0 CSA on July 28, 2022 to $151,200 for a 1972 3.0 CS on August 14, 2026, which is the market's ceiling to date for the carbureted car that was actually sold in the US. The injected cars sit well above: classic.com's 3.0 CSi benchmark is $97,048 with an average of $94,424, and its lowest recorded sale was $11,250 for a 1972 CSi project in May 2022. The 3.0 CSL benchmark is $180,779 with an average of $186,255; the lowest recorded CSL sale, $37,250 in July 2022, is far enough below the rest to read as a car needing everything. Two US auction results show the slope behind those numbers. RM Sotheby's sold a 1973 3.0 CS automatic with factory air conditioning for $31,900 at Fort Lauderdale in 2014, and at Santa Monica in 2016 a 1973 3.0 CS automatic was offered with a $60,000 to $70,000 estimate and did not sell. Hagerty's Rob Siegel wrote that photos of his own color-changed CSi would suggest a $100,000 to $140,000 car on Hagerty values and online results, and that purists would mark it down for the color change and the non-original engine. Originality, rust history and the US-versus-European specification all move the number more than model year does. No individual CSL auction lot page could be fetched for this research, so no single CSL sale is quoted.

## Value trajectory

The E9 has been an expensive car to buy well for a long time. Siegel recalls shiny examples costing about $10,000 in the 1980s when a nice 2002 cost a third of that, and he bought his basket-case CSi for $1,700 in 1986. In 2016 the e9coupe.com FAQ sorted the market into bands from under $5,000 for a parts car to $25,000 and above for a car with little to fix, with nicely restored CSLs over $100,000 at auction. RM Sotheby's $31,900 sale of a US 3.0 CS automatic in 2014 sits inside that picture. As of September 2026 classic.com's benchmark for the 3.0 CS is $63,952, its CSi benchmark $97,048 and its CSL benchmark $180,779, and the best 3.0 CS on its record sold for $151,200 in August 2026. That is roughly a doubling for an average carbureted car since the mid-2010s and a wide spread between average and best, which is what rust does to a market: a rust-free, documented US car and a car with hidden fender rot can look alike in photographs and differ by six figures once the fenders come off.

## Sources

- [BMW E9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_E9) (Wikipedia)
- [BMW e9 coupe FAQ](https://www.e9coupe.com/faq.html) (e9coupe.com)
- [E9 VIN production range / how to find your VIN](https://e9coupe.com/forum/threads/e9-vin-production-range-how-to-find-your-vin.34716/) (e9coupe.com)
- [When was the 3.0 CS introduced to the USA](https://www.e9coupe.com/forum/threads/when-was-the-3-0-cs-introduced-to-the-usa.45283/) (e9coupe.com forum)
- [Buyers guide to e9's](https://e9coupe.com/forum/threads/buyers-guide-to-e9s.11339/) (e9coupe.com forum (reprinted Australian buyer's guide))
- [BMW CS Registry](https://bmwcsregistry.org/list/) (BMW CS Registry)
- [The 37-year-long rolling resto of my BMW 3.0CSi](https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/the-hack-mechanic/the-37-year-long-rolling-resto-of-my-bmw-3-0csi/) (Hagerty Media)
- [From beaten down to beautiful: Resurrecting a BMW 3.0CSi, Part 1](https://hagerty.com/media/?p=4777) (Hagerty Media)
- [1973 BMW 3.0 CS | Fort Lauderdale 2014 | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/fl14/lots/r0320-1973-bmw-30-cs/) (RM Sotheby's)
- [1973 BMW 3.0 CS | Santa Monica 2016 | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/ca16/lots/r0259-1973-bmw-30-cs/) (RM Sotheby's)
- [1973 BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile](https://www.sportscarmarket.com/profile/1973-bmw-3-0-csl-batmobile) (Sports Car Market)
- [The BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile (E9) is an automotive icon](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1132535_the-bmw-3-0-csl-batmobile-e9-is-an-automotive-icon) (Motor Authority)
- [Top Tips for Buying a Used BMW E9 Series Coupe (1968-76)](https://retrorides.com.au/buyers-guides/top-tips-for-buying-a-used-bmw-e9-series-coupe-1968-76/) (Retro Rides)
- [BMW New Six E9 3.0 CS Market](https://www.classic.com/m/bmw/new-six/e9/30-cs/) (classic.com)
- [BMW New Six E9 3.0 CSi Market](https://www.classic.com/m/bmw/new-six/e9/30-csi/) (classic.com)
- [BMW New Six E9 3.0 CSL Market](https://www.classic.com/m/bmw/new-six/e9/30-csl/) (classic.com)
- [NHTSA recall products by model year: 1974 BMW](https://api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/models?modelYear=1974&make=bmw&issueType=r) (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

Cite as: Fully Sorted, "BMW 3.0 CS (E9 coupe)", https://fullysorted.com/research/models/bmw/e9-3-0-cs, updated 2026-10-01.