You Can Own a Piece of BMW M History, Assuming You Have Unlimited Money

The 1970s were a wild time in the automotive industry. New technologies, new thinking, and increasing competition meant automakers had to think outside the box to stand out. For BMW, that meant starting a factory-backed race team. The idea, spearheaded by the infamous Bob Lutz, resulted in BMW’s first M car, which you can now buy.  

This 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL Werks development car was the first car built by the then-newly developed BMW Motorsport division. M built the car, E9/R1, in late 1972 and early 1973, becoming the first of 21 CSL Werks cars, 11 of which the factory team raced. The E9/R1 would also go on to help develop the Batmobile Aero kit.  

The car saw some competition, according to the Dylan Miles listing, but BMW Motorsport sold it at the end of the 1973 season to an American racing team for the 1974 IMSA championship. After its one-year stint at IMSA, the team sold the cars and later retired.  

The E9/R1 would end up in a BMW collection in the early 80s before the current private owner acquired the car in the mid-1990s. Since then, the vehicle has undergone an extensive restoration focused on preserving the car’s originality. It’s rare for a development vehicle to last this long with all its parts still attached.  

Photo by: Dylan Miles

The car has spent the better part of three decades behind closed doors, but it did make a hill climb run at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed in its pre-homologation spec. It made its most recent public appearance at the Salon Prive Concours D’Elegance in August 2025, outfitted with the Batmobile kit. 

BMW paid tribute to the CSLs just a few years ago with the limited-run 3.0 CSL. The automaker built only 50 of them, featuring a 553-horsepower version of BMW’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine and a manual gearbox. It also had unique bodywork, including a prominent wing similar in style to the iconic Batmobile. 

This car has the larger 3.5-liter inline-six, which the listing says makes over 400 horsepower. The listing doesn’t have a price—you’ll get that when you apply. Good luck.

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