Today BMW and straight-six engines are like two peas in a pod, so it’s odd to consider that back in the 1960s its leading Coupe, the 2000CS was powered by a 4-cylinder. Despite nearly 14,000 New Class coupes being built between 1965 and 1969, BMW was keen to resolve its cylinder deficiency problem.

Enter, stage left the E9, not an entirely new car, but a Darwin-esque evolution, if the 2000CS was an ape, the E9 Coupe was a full-grown Human. The first E9s, were 2800 CS, they began to replace their predecessors in 1968, an elongated front end made room for a new M30 6-cylinder heart and light re-style to match that of the E3 Saloon brought the exterior up to date.

Despite gaining two cylinders and some length, the E9 was lighter than its predecessors. In 1971, BMW replaced the 2800 CS with new 3.0-litre models. The CS and the fuel-injected CSI. This particular E9 started life in 1972 as a 3.0 CS with an automatic gearbox, finished in Inka orange.

Today, the car has been subjected to an extensive restoration around 13 years ago, which included the complete bodyshell being chemically stripped, any corrosion being cut out and replaced with fresh sheet metal and then a fresh coat of bright Inka orange being applied.

The car presents well, despite its older restoration, the Inka paintwork is still bright and generally presents well, though there are some marks notably a small area of corrosion starting on the corner of the boot lid and on the C post. The car has been de-bumpered for a more aggressive look and a deep CSL-style front chin splitter has been installed. The original bumper is included with the car.

The wheels take inspiration from legendary BMW-tuning house Alpina, multi-spoke items that are finished in bright silver, the central hub of which is in a contrasting black finished with Alpina centre caps. The wheels are wrapped in a matching set of Michelin rubber. Another CSL-style addition is the coach line, running front to rear, reading our 3.5 CSI, a hint at what is hidden under the long bonnet.

Inside, it’s a lovely place to be, black-leather, upgraded E24 635CSi bucket seats hug you in all the right places but still offer excellent comfort levels, and a tactile wood-rimmed steering wheel has been employed, slotted of course to avoid any stuck finger situations that could potentially occur!

The wood continues across the dash panel, centre console and gear lever. The gauge cluster is clear, free from damage and works as it should. A few upgrades have been made to the interior to bring it up to date, and a quick visit to Car Audio Security in 2020 means that this E9 is equipped with a subtle, but suitable sound system.

At the business end, you’ll find out what the side stripes have been hinting at. Gone is the car’s original 3.0-litre engine and automatic gearbox, instead a 3.5L M30B35 has been employed, with fuel injection and a manual gearbox. The additional capacity and fuel injection make this E9 an incredibly driveable and usable classic, and as the replacement engine is within the same family as the original, minimal work is required for the conversion.

This E9 epitomises what we all want to believe the 1970s was, not fuel shortages and power cuts, but loud, lairy and fast. It’s been tastefully resto-modded, in an “OEM+” fashion, taking the development of the car in a direction that BMW’s engineers surely would’ve done, whilst retaining all of the charm that makes it uniquely what it is.

The later engine and classic style combination means that you could use this car all year round, without any reliability concerns, it’s as at home at a Classics & Cake as it is on a cross-continental road trip. The car comes complete with a collection of invoices, detailing the work, restoration and history prior, including an invoice for its sale in 1981 as a used car.

As with all our vehicles, a full digital folder is available on request containing more images, walk-around videos, and scans of the car's history file which documents the work it has received in later life. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.