Beschrijving
BMW six cylinder coupes & saloons Gold Portfolio, 1969-1976.
Verzameling van autotesten uit de diverse engelse autobladen door de jaren heen.
Coupes; 2800CS, 3.0 CS, CSi, CSL.
Saloons; 2500, 2800, 3.0, Bavaria.
Nineteen sixty-eight was a milestone year for BMW. Not only was it the year when production exceeded 500 cars a day for the first time ever, but it was also the year when two brand new six cylinder ranges were introduced at the Frankfurt Show. They were the E3 saloons and the E9 coupes, and they shared the new iron-block, alloy-head M52 engine, latterly known to BMW fans as the Big Six. The saloons picked up several features which the Neue Klasse models had introduced seven years earlier. Although their body shells were new, they shared the big glass area, crisp lines and forward-sloping front panel of the smaller saloons, adding to this a neat twin-headlamp installation. Like the Neue Klasse, they also had all round independent suspension, with MacPherson struts at the front and semi-trailing arms at the rear. The new saloons came in 2500 and 2800 forms, and were priced to do battle with Mercedes 250 and 250SE models. The new coupes, meanwhile, came in 2800CS guise to take on Stuttgart’s ageing but newly re-engined 280SE coupes. The BMWs looked fresh, even though they were actually re-engined and facelifted editions of the earlier 2000 and 2000CS four cylinder coupes. Their wheelbases had been stretched by three inches ahead of the passenger cabin to accommodate the new engine, and a new four lamp nose gave them a family resemblance to the new E3 saloons whose revised front suspension they also took on. Both saloons and coupes were another big hit for BMW, despite high prices. From 1971, both ranges benefited from a new 3-litre engine which came in carburettor or higher-powered fuel-injection forms. In addition, the low-volume homologation special 3.0CSL coupe arrived, and went on to confirm the company’s growing reputation on the race tracks. The CSL picked up a collection of aerodynamic addenda in late 1972 to take on its now legendary Batmobile appearance, and the racing versions were further developed with two even larger engines. Meanwhile, a smaller engined (2.5CS) coupe arrived in 1974 to meet depressed demand for big-engined cars after the first Oil Crisis. That year had already seen the introduction of a long-wheelbase saloon aimed at the long-wheelbase versions of Mercedes S-Class cars. As befitted the flagship model, it had a new 3.3-litre engine, although smaller-engined editions were introduced later. Towards the end of 1976, the 3.3-litre model was uprated with fuel injection to become the 3.3Li. Coupe production ended in 1975 after 29,569 of all types had been built, and saloon production ended two years later. There had been 207,377 examples on the standard wheelbase, and a further 12,656 long wheelbase cars. Models include: Coupes 2800CS, 3.0 CS, CSi, CSL & Saloons, 2500, 2800, 3.0 & Bavaria.
English, softcover, 172 pages.
ISBN 1855204371.
EAN 9781855204379.
