1973 BMW Other

Coupe

3.0L I-6

Manual

2240706

Clear

Gasoline

I purchased this, my beloved 3.0CS Coupe, in 1980 and have owned it since. From the years 1980-1998 it was always a pleasure use only sports car for me, the car I drove around our magnificent Midwest backroads in the summer months and visited venues such as Road America many times along the way. I am an engineer by trade and a BMW CCA member/driving instructor by hobby and always enjoyed the technical brilliance of the 3.0CS as well as their driving dynamics and aesthetics. I still think it is one of the most striking Coupes ever manufactured. However, with a growing family and business I parked this car around 1997 and it has sat in storage since. It has recently been removed from storage and was brought back to life by a collector car and vintage racing specialist garage owned by a friend over the past few months. I will attempt to accurately describe the condition below. Options: This is an original factory air conditioned, 4 speed, no-sunroof CS Coupe. Which, if you know these cars, is what you want!  Mileage: Original miles are just over 50,000. Body: Every BMW fanatic out there will tell you the CS Coupes are notorious for rusting, and they are not lying to you. However my CS has been treated with care knowing this models desire to rust since my purchase when it was a relatively new car some 34 years ago. I think I was rather successful in preserving a CS in extremely solid condition. There was no rust at all on it when stored, however, there is now surface rust on some bare metal components and some rust that should be tended to around the right front jacking point where the undercoating trapped some moisture (pictured.) It is still very sound and supports the car no problem but it needs to be cleaned up. There are a few other areas where the factory undercoat has peeled away from the metal, mainly around the rubber plugs in the floor. There is not rust through but I would scrape the undercoat clean, treat the metal, and re-undercoat. The only spot of rust on the body is on the lower RF fender where you can see bubbles have formed (pictured.) This will need to be repaired but is contained to this area and appears minor. The rockers, trunk, rear quarters, floors, doors, hood, trunk lid, etc are all extremely solid and show no signs of corrosion. Paint: The car was originally silver and I had a very high quality repaint to the current dark blue done in the 1980's to suit my preference. When I had this done I had them disable the gas filler door and make "clean up" that area because I thought it looked better. The gas filler is now accessed through the trunk, much like a competition Ferrari of the 1960's! You will see in the photos a picture of this and you will also see it would be easy to "open up" the gas door if desired. The body is dead straight and the only place you can not tell it was originally blue is the engine compartment and the trunk under the mat as I did not have those areas color changed. The paint, now some decades old, has faded. I don't know if it will buff out or not, I have not tried. In fact the car has not been detailed at all for this sale, I wanted whoever buys her to know what they are getting without any doctoring.  Interior: Is all original and in excellent condition with the exception of the outside lower bolster of the driver's seat which has recently split. I have been told this panel could be replaced with matching leather rather than re-upholster the entire seat. The interior could use a good cleaning but again I wanted to show buyers exactly what it looked like after 16 years or so in storage. You'll also notice the great vintage Motorsport 4-spoke wheel from the 1980's. The full tool kit is still in the trunk, as well as some vintage oil and fluids for you.  Wheels/ tires: The wheels on the car are a fancy (for the 1980's) true two-piece basket weave wheel I have just had a nice set of Yokohamas mounted on. I also have the original wheels that go with the car. Mechanicals: The car runs, and always has run, extremely well. I was always a fanatic about maintenance. Way back when I fitted an upgraded pair of Weber carbs, an Ansa tube header, and full Ansa exhaust as well as had a BMW specialist properly tune the car. The Ansa exhaust front and mid mufflers have rusted out in storage because, well, they are Italian. It sounds great but it needs an exhaust. The engine has been checked over, fluids changed, new coolant hoses as needed, radiator cleaned and tested, fuel system flushed, etc but obviously it will need further tuning after sitting this long. The clutch and transmission are perfect. All hydraulics are great, and I just had the brake master cylinder and all 4 brake calipers rebuilt, all 4 rotors turned, and all of the brake hoses replaced with new. The air conditioning has been dead for decades but is all there. The power windows work, but extremely slowly as the regulators are likely gummed up with age old grease. The power antenna is dead. All of the gauges work, and the car has great oil pressure, sounds great, runs cool, and runs strong.   Title: Clear 1981 Michigan title in my name in hand. Note: this is not my eBay account but that of a friend who is helping me since I haven't sold a car in, well, decades...long before the internet! I'm sure I am forgetting something (or a lot) but am happy to answer questions from or send more photos to serious buyers. This is a great, solid, 3.0 CS I have owned for a long time and is fresh out of many years of storage so please keep in mind she will need some TLC, some cleaning, and basic things like an exhaust and paint if you are inclined to make it perfect again. From what I have seen finding a good 4 speed CS is very difficult these days and the values seem to be escalating rapidly. I have no idea what it is worth in today's market so I am starting the bidding very low and going to let the market tell me. I am sure the next owner will be very pleased, and with a little elbow grease will quickly return her to her former glory and have a car worth far more than they will have invested. My hope is that it goes to a good home and will soon return to the BMW CCA events it used to love so much! The car is available for any inspection with reasonable notice during the auction in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the shop that did the work for me.  Thanks for looking, and good luck in your bidding.  -PeterOn Dec-18-14 at 12:36:29 PST, seller added the following information: Update 12/18/14:  Thanks for all of the interest in my CS! I appreciate all of the kind messages and offers. However I wanted to add that if you have zero feedback or are new to eBay please do not bid without contacting me first so I know you are a "real" bidder or I will have to cancel your bid. Also I forgot to add that I reserve the right to end this auction early for any reason. Finally, inspections of any kind are welcome prior to placing your bid. By placing a bid you are agreeing to honor your bid amount and pay for the car per the terms posted if you are the winning bidder. It is unfortunate to have to type such things but as our parents always told us one bad apple can indeed ruin the bunch! Thanks again for looking.On Dec-18-14 at 17:43:46 PST, seller added the following information: I've received many questions about the condition of the body of my car and also seen posts on the E9 Coupe forum and other web sites (like Bring a Trailer) have picked up on my listing as well. The description above is accurate and I took photos of the worst areas I could find so whoever ends up buying the car will be pleased. This is a very, very solid car. The worst spot is that lower RF fender and even that appears to be minor to the shop that does all of my restoration work on my other cars. The rockers are perfect, as are the rear quarters, inner fenders, floors, shock towers, doors, etc. Honestly the rusty exhaust and rear differential with the surface rust on it make it look like a "rusty" car but I assure you it is not. I could have put on a shiny new exhaust and scrubbed off the surface rust with WD40 and rattle-canned the RF jacking point but elected to show the car exactly as it emerged from storage. If I were buying it I wouldn't want it "fluffed up" or doctored up so I didn't do it to sell it. I have about 60 additional photos for the asking that will show you just about every area you'd ever want to see, and if I don't have a photo of what you want I'd be happy to take one. Simply message me with your email and anything you desire to see and I will send photos. Or better yet come and see the car, I think seeing it in person would certainly give most people a lot more comfort as it is as solid CS as you're likely to find. Also, since I posted the listing I have run another tank of fuel through the car, tuned the carbs, and installed new plugs and plug wires. I know I said it would require "additional tuning" but I have now done that and it runs extremely well and is ready to go. I forgot how great these cars are to drive and what a jewel that engine is! Again, if you'd like additional info or more photos just let me know, happy to provide any of it for serious bidders. Thanks!On Dec-19-14 at 08:40:51 PST, seller added the following information: Hi Again- It seems I have forgotten some more important information that has been requested by numerous people. -I do have a large folder of service history and maintenance records for the CS. -I DO have the original carburetors (I previously told somebody I did not but lo and behold there they were;) I also have the original wheels as mentioned, the original exhaust manifolds, and a box of miscellaneous items that I've saved for the car. I also haves NOS (factory BMW) door seals I purchased a long time ago in case the car should ever need them. It still doesn't, but when it does you'll have them. Thanks again for all of your interest. -Peter