The BMW 3.0 CSL is one of the most iconic Bimmers of all time. Not only because the road car was beautiful but also because of its racing pedigree. Both its timeless beauty and racing history make even just the road car extremely valuable. But what about a proper Group 2 racing version? This 1978 BMW 3.0 CSL Martini racing car is currently for sale and it’s incredible.
It all started when Willi Martini, a prominent figure among racing at the Nurburgring, decided to build a racing version of the CSL. Martini owned a shop near the ‘Ring, where he fixed cars, built racing cars and created aftermarket parts for cars. So when it came time to build a proper racer from a 3.0 CSL, he did it right.
The car started out as a factory body from BMW. It was then given a tuned 3.0 liter 12-valve I6 BMW engine with three dual-choke Weber carburetors. After awhile, it was given a 3.2 liter I6 with some ALPINA tuning, which is the engine currently running in it. It also received flared ALPINA wheel arches and ALPINA wheels, as well as ALPINA’s white and green livery.
In fact, after heavy restoration, the car currently has even more ALPINA stuff on it, including a period rear differential, oil cooler and suspension for Group 2 racing. After the rebuild, the car went on a dyno where it put down 340 hp, a very impressive number for its time and a lot of power for its lightweight body.
It doesn’t actually say how much it costs but we suspect it’s one of those things where the price isn’t advertised because it doesn’t really matter to the sort of person who would buy it. So it will probably cost a very pretty penny. Still, to have a stunning race car with some great history, it’s probably worth it.
The listing can be found here.
[Source: Car Magazine]
