Also called Batmobile because it looked like one, the BMW 3.0 CSL is actually turning 50-years-old this year. Essentially, a souped-up BMW E9, the BMW 3.0 CSL is a legend on the track, having dominated races in the 1970s. But just when people think the BMW Batmobile can’t get modern, Electric Classic Cars has just transformed one into a Tesla-powered electric vehicle.
A BMW 3.0 CSi Found Rotting In A Garage
This BMW 3.0 CSL from Electric Classic Cars isn’t really the genuine article. Indeed, the car is a 1970s BMW E9, but it is not one of the legendary coupé sport lightweight cars – it’s a 3.0 CSi. As Electric Classic Cars' founder Richard Morgan reveals, they acquired the E9 around two years. In a polite way of saying it, he described the condition of the car back then as “a little bit of a basket case.”
Prior to Electric Classic Cars’ discovery of the BMW E9, the car was sitting in a garage in the past few decades. The garage had a water leak, going straight onto the open sunroof of the E9. No thanks to this situation, the E9’s interior suffered a wrecking fate. Furthermore, the E9 had also developed bubble paint all over. As Richard said, the car was in a sorry state.
A Two-Year BMW E9 Restoration Project
For the past two years, though, Richard and Electric Classic Cars worked hard to lovingly restore the BMW E9 to a great condition. Not only that, they transformed the E9 from a 3.0 CSi to a 3.0 CSL replica. The base was already there, and Electric Classic Cars just had to install or fabricate various elements exclusive to the 3.0 CSL to create a replica.
Among the 3.0 CSL-exclusive elements that Electric Classic Cars added to the 3.0 CSi are the front air dam, shark fins beside the hood and the staggered-width Alpina wheels. They also added a rear roof spoiler and massive rear wing. The company finished the replica in silver, restored the interior, upgraded the suspension system and installed Wilwood four-piston brakes with vented rotors.
BMW 3.0-Liter Engine Out, Tesla Drive Unit In
Gone is the E9’s 3.0-liter straight six engine, transmission prop shaft and rear differential. Instead, Electric Classic Cars installed a Tesla large drive unit (LDU) providing 450 hp of max output and 331 lb-ft of instant torque. Thanks to an 85 kWh battery pack from a Tesla Model S P85, the 3.0 CSL replica can travel more than 200 miles on a single charge.
Source: Electric Classic Cars