The BMW E9 CSL Is a Car Worth Coveting

Reminiscing can take your mind to far off destinations while simultaneously recreating the same emotions you felt while in that exact moment. BMWs are frequently on our minds, so it got us thinking about one of our favorite BMWs —the BMW E9 CSL race car.

Sure, there are other BMWs that merit just as much attention as the E9 CSL (for example the 507 or the M1), but the E9 CSL just oozes raw power. While the later models were built to answer the calls of flagship design studies, the E9 CSL was offensive and checked all the right boxes when it came to creating a proper factory race car. All-star driving team: check. A screaming inline-six motor: check. Ridiculous widebody aerodynamics to house wider tires for better traction: check and check!

We were able to bask in sliver of the car’s historical existence while attending the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Adorned with the bold names of Redman and Peterson, the number 25 car blazed a path of wide-open motoring bliss in the Northern California sun. The squeaking solid suspension components being fully exercised descending down the infamous “corkscrew”, as beams of light streaked across the bodywork. This is BMW heaven, this car is sheer motorsports bliss. Now…if only they’d toss us the keys.

Photography by Andrew Schneider for Petrolicious