A one-of-a-kind BMW 3.5 (E9) CSL will go under the hammer in the UK this Saturday, expected to bring home £160,000–180,000 (U.S. $200,000–225,000). Let’s see what it has to justify the price.
The car began as a normal mass-produced BMW 3.0 CS in the mid-1980s. A few years later, racing driver Tim Busby had it modded for professional motorsports. It then got in to the hands of Iconic Auctioneers in 2004, and the auction holder proceeded to race it at Le Mans, Spa Francorchamps, Monza, and Silverstone.
In 2013, the improvised CSL went to Jay Kay, lead singer of Jamiroquai. He proceeded to keep it for four years and then sold it on. The next owner invested a six-digit sum into restoring it and put it back on track, where it continued to run until 2021.
The listing doesn’t go into any detail about the tuning, but we know that the engine displacement has been increased from the stock 3.0 liters to 3.5. The coupe also ended up with a bulky front apron and a broad rear wing, as well as some other exterior mods.