1973 - 1975 BMW E9 3.0 CSL
Make:
Minichamps (BMW Heritage Collection)
Product Code:
80 43 2 411 550
They are proudly declared as the Ultimate Driving Machines. Fan boys enthusiastically coined them as
Bimmers. I once heard a guy calling them “Bloody
Mahal Wheels” as
mahal translates to expensive in Malay. No matter what,
Bayerische Motoren Werke transcends all walks of life and cultures. Even people who have almost zero inkling about automobiles know what a BMW is. Or at least what owning a BMW symbolizes.
Here I present my Ultimate BMW, the E-Nine Three Point Zero Coupe Sport Leicht.
I bought this Minichamps 3.0 CSL from (where else but) eBay for €90 inclusive of shipping, making this my second least expensive acquisition ever.
I was not exaggerating when describing the 3.0 CSL as my ultimate BMW because just look at it! The E30 M3 may be the only Bimmer I wish to own but it looks tame compared to this. Even the legendary M1 pales in the background when parked beside the 3.0 CSL.
How can something appear so classy yet so invoking of power? Every line is crisp and well penned. Every single design element can hold itself regally. I especially like the badging on the C-pillars just aft of the Hofmeister kinks.
Sure, the outrageous spoiler and aerodynamics addenda may not be to everyone’s tastes but once you strip it down, the 3.0 CSL transforms into an entirely different machine. For your info, you could also get the “standard” 3.0 CS and CSi models if you want something less in-your-face.
The 3.0 CSL was built to homologate the 3.0 CS and CSi models for European Touring Car Championship racing and only ~1,250 were built with most being left-hand-drive. The
leicht was achieved via the deletion of trims and soundproofing materials plus the usage of aluminum for the doors, bonnet and boot lid. That was not all as Perspex was used for the side windows and thinner gauge steel was used on the body construction. The final homologation versions had an aerodynamic package that includes a large air dam, short fins on the front fenders, spoilers above & behind the roof plus a tall rear wing, which are all available in this die cast iteration. They were affectionately known as the
Batmobiles. If I was accurately informed, there were only 167 Batmobiles made.
The rear wings were not factory-installed. Buyers had to install themselves from the boot after purchase because the wings were illegal on German roads. The aero kit allegedly saves 15 seconds on the Nordschleife compared to a non-aero 3.0 CSL.
Though this is one of my cheapest models to date, it required the most arduous decision making ever. I was split between this and AUTOart’s racing versions. My heart was mostly set on AUTOart’s far better designed and made releases. Whichever iteration does not matter to me since I have no interest nor knowledge in the 3.0 CSL’s racing achievements, which it had in spades. However I prefer my collection to be stock and sadly AUTOart never made the 3.0 CSL in road car form. AUTOart did release the 3.0 CSi coupes of which the CSLs were based on.
I was hesitant about the Minichamps not because of its overall design and quality. I have looked at countless pictures on forums and eBay pages to ascertain that it is good enough for me. No, the problem I have with Minichamps is…
(Photo Credit:
Haderach from
DiecastXchange because I did not take pictures of mine before modifications.)
Please tell me you see it? I will give you a hint; there’s 4 of them. It is those black spots in the center of the headlights. Minichamps are just annoyingly bad at making circular headlights on classic cars. These spots are caused by the holes on the silver headlight housing. Basically, there is a stud protruding from within the headlight lens. This stud is there to click both the lens and housing in place on the front fascia piece. I believe these studs also serve as a runner during the plastic injection process.
I can accept non-perforated grills and even the absence of brake calipers on models that are supposedly equipped with disc brakes. One modelling flaw that I cannot accept is the appearance of ‘pupil’ in a headlight assembly because it looks badly-engineered.
So I was presented with a dilemma: Get the AUTOart and try to remove all the ‘unnecessary’ racing elements such as the vehicle number (The idea was to make a street version of the 3.0 CSL race car that was based on a civilian 3.0 CSL, how ridiculous is that) or I could just make do with the Minichamps and do something about the headlights. The former idea was quickly discarded due to my lack of modelling skills, I certainly did not want to risk anything given the price these AUTOart Bimmers are commanding nowadays. I reckoned if I messed up on a Minichamps it was easier to stomach than any error on a failed AUTOart attempt.
First impressions? Generally positive and this casting feels heavy, which it is at a measured 900 grams.
It might seem the model sits a little too high but that is quite an accurate representation of the actual car. The tires are also rather chunky which again are true on the actual subject matter. The replication of the gorgeous multi-spoke rims is spot-on in my opinion. Oh and Minichamps did a good job of having the BMW badging on the C-pillars. Application of the tri-colour motorsport livery is done well enough.
From this part onwards, I am posting picture of the actual car followed by the model in similar perspective.
Side profile appears to well replicated. The tires may appear too thick while the ride height too high but that is how the actual 3.0 CSL looks with very prominent space between the wheels and the wheel wells.
I must admit the modifications done to the headlights could have been better but I rather take this over the pupils.
Most of the chrome effect surrounding the headlights were scrapped off when I tried to take out each individual lens housings but from a distant the damage is hardly visible.
Moving to the rear, the most obvious disappointment here is the rear lights. Not much depth here and it gives the impression that these are merely thin translucent pieces clipped onto the car body. They look more like the light reflectors on your bicycle than actual lights. Unbeknownst to me, the top plane of the huge spoiler is plastic. I almost snapped mine into a bi-spoiler when I held the CSL on both ends. The sound it made sent shrapnel to my guts but thankfully it was rather sturdy.
Also when looking at both the front and rear, I noticed that the track width appears too short. Whichever angle I tried to look at it, I just could not get the correct stance as the actual coupe. I suppose the overall stance could have been improved better but again only something you will notice with time.
Pop up the front-hinged bonnet and things start to become more interesting. In my opinion, Minichamps had done a good job in detailing whatever is necessary. My only bone to pick is the rather cheap-looking engine manifold, albeit just a small bite size bone. Of noteworthy is that my model is from the Heritage Collection that is available at BMW dealers with a different product code. I noticed the standard versions may have the correctly red-painted radiator fan while mine is black. Yes, it does look rather plasticky here but given the price point I am totally fine with it.
Here is something unique; the driver side window is fully rolled down while the passenger side is not. So if you are ‘lifting’ the model, access is via the driver side only. Swing open the door and you are invited to a fairly nice interior. There is detailing on the dash. The color choice of the wood finishing is questionable at best as the actual cars came with a darker shade of wood paneling. Also, my research indicated that the shift knobs were leather not wood. Still it is a pretty decent interior to look at.
Open the trunk to reveal a nicely-frolicked compartment. It was not possible for my trunk to stay in position.
So these are my views on a €90 die cast model that is based on a motoring icon costing £90,000 onwards. Seriously, do check out the records at RM Sotheby’s.
This BMW has it all: great looks, amazing performance, motorsport pedigree and historical significance.
Do I regret not getting the AUTOart version? At the beginning stage, yes but this Minichamps is starting to grow on me. It is not perfect but being the only stock 3.0 CSL casting available, it is still a commendable effort. Somehow I could sense whoever was in-charge did put in the best effort to provide the best available at a given budget. Of course you could spot where the cost-cutting were but the typical features you want in a 1:18 die cast are there in abundance. This one has the charm I was not expecting and it is a pleasant surprise.
In an ideal situation, I would love to have the AUTOart racing version to complement this but with so many exciting developments down my pipeline, it is merely a luxury which I have to put aside for now.
Best regards.
Okay, time to work on the next write-up~
