In the late 1950s, BMW very nearly went out of business and it looked for a while as though it would declare bankruptcy and Mercedes-Benz would acquire the remains of the company. A substantial 11th hour cash infusion from the Quandt family saved the company and came with instructions to develop a new mid-sized car for Germany’s growing middle class. This would fill the gap between the large, expensive luxury cars that BMW was making and the tiny Isetta microcar which BMW had licensed from the Italian company Iso.
The resulting car was the Neue Klasse, which was offered in both two and four door forms. Once the initial bugs had been ironed out, the car transformed BMW’s fortunes, and with the newfound financial stability, BMW expanded their model line to include a larger four cylinder coupe and eventually, a bigger sedan with a 6-cylinder engine. Early Neue Klasse cars were powered by 1500cc and 1800cc versions of the then new M10 inline-4, while the bigger Coupe, called the 2000 C or CS (with two and four-barrel carburetors respectively) used a 2.0 liter version of the engine.
When the new six-cylinder sedans arrived, internally designated E3, the 2000 C and CS were stretched to accommodate the new engine, called the M30. The coupe used the 2.8 liter version, creating the 2800 CS. At the same time, the somewhat awkward front-end styling of the 2000CS was redone to mimic the much more handsome treatment of the E3 and the CS became genuinely beautiful.
The 2800 CS became the 3.0 CS when a 3 liter M30 was added, and the rear drum brakes were replaced with discs at the same time. More power still was available when the injected 3.0 arrived, the CSi, creating the most desirable E9 built outside of the homologation special CSL. Never offered in the United States, the CSi employed Bosch electronic fuel injection. Only the carbureted cars were sold in the US market.
This particular example was sold new in Italy and remained in Europe until being imported to California by its current owner in 2022. He acquired the car from Oldenzaal Classics, the Dutch Vintage BMW specialist. Prior to the sale, they refurbished the car, including an engine rebuild. During the refurbishment, the car was fitted with air conditioning, which is extremely effective. Since being imported, the car has been used sparingly and serviced by the Bill Arnold Independent BMW Repair with routine service and minor repairs such as a new wiper motor, new fuel pump, new AC compressor, and various other jobs.
