Le Mans - BMW 3.5 CSL - 1976

Le Mans - BMW 3.5 CSL - 1976

To crown its recent successes in European competition with a victory, even if only in class, at Le Mans would be the best way to end the career of a model that was as popular on the road as it was on the track, but for the BMW E9, unfortunately the dream did not come true. 

The handsome Bavarian coupé, known by the trade names 2800 CS and 3.0 CS/CSi/CSL, went out of production in 1976, while its racing variant, introduced from 1972, tried in vain to dominate the French marathon in an evolved version for the new Group 5: the BMW 3.5 CSL.

Scale: 1:43

TECHNICAL DATA

BMW 3.5 CSL

ENGINE: W 3,495 cc longitudinal front, in-line 6-cylinder, twin overhead camshaft with 4 valves per cylinder, Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection, liquid cooled, max. power 480 hp at 8,500 rpm, max. torque 422 Nm at 6,000 rpm.

TRANSMISSION: Rear-wheel drive, Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox.

CHASSIS: Steel frame with aluminium panels.

SUSPENSION: Front MacPherson, rear semi-trailing-arm suspension, coil springs and Bilstein telescopic dampers.

BRAKES: ATE ventilated discs.

WHEELS: BBS wheels 12.5 x 16" front and 15.75 x 16" rear, tyres 300/625-16 front and 350/625-16 rear.

DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 2,625 mm. Weight: 1,090 kg, fuel tank capacity 120 litres.