Centre grille

The 5 slat black is probably the most coveted, that's what came on the CSL ... or at least most of them. its metal, not plastic. really its the same grille as the pre'74 CS / CSi, just black. many people think the coupe looks better with an all black grille. the 4 slat black is plastic (>'74) is the least desirable.

to me its the metal grille that is in great shape. with a black car, i like the silver grille.
 
Simufly said:
I dont really get all the 4 versus 5 bar controversy, so what is the most desirable and why?
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I don't think there is a controversy. There is a technical debate (mainly between myself and Chris) as to whether the five bar came on the CSL only or if it was found on some '74's. Chris is following clear BMW documentation and I'm leaning into mounting anecdotal evidence.

I personally think the five bar looks better both in polished aluminum and in black anodized. Honestly, anyone can remove the slots from their aluminum grille and anodize or paint them. I don't mind the aesthetics of the four plastic bars, but I'm not a huge fan of the 'chubby' surround. I much prefer the skinny surround found on the five bar. Once you notice the difference between the two it becomes very easy to differentiate the two.

From a value perspective, I would place them in this order:
5 Bar Black - NLA
5 Bar Polished Aluminum - NLA
4 Bar Plastic + Aluminum - Available (correct me if I'm wrong here, 51131826809)
 
That about sums it up! I painted my slats black. Love it on my polaris.

Markos said:
I don't think there is a controversy. There is a technical debate (mainly between myself and Chris) as to whether the five bar came on the CSL only or if it was found on some '74's. Chris is following clear BMW documentation and I'm leaning into mounting anecdotal evidence.

I personally think the five bar looks better both in polished aluminum and in black anodized. Honestly, anyone can remove the slots from their aluminum grille and anodize or paint them. I don't mind the aesthetics of the four plastic bars, but I'm not a huge fan of the 'chubby' surround. I much prefer the skinny surround found on the five bar. Once you notice the difference between the two it becomes very easy to differentiate the two.

From a value perspective, I would place them in this order:
5 Bar Black - NLA
5 Bar Polished Aluminum - NLA
4 Bar Plastic + Aluminum - Available (correct me if I'm wrong here, 51131826809)
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Omg, just realised my CSL has the 4 bar grill. The upside is it's brand new shinny and looks mint which fits with the condition of my car. Downside is that based on the info on this thread seems like it has been replaced sometime and my CSL is missing an origional bit - first non origional bit I have discovered so far :( .
Oh well something to hunt for on eBay and coupe.com. Hopefully a 5 bar might turn up for sale some time. Personally I quite like the full silver bar version like in the photo of this red car below. Does anyone know if these silver 5 bar kidneys versions came on UK RHD CSLs or only the black 5 bar version?

market-finds-contest-produces-gorgeous-bmw-3-0cs-1476934615618-1000x666.jpg
 
No
Mal CSL 3.0 said:
Omg, just realised my CSL has the 4 bar grill. The upside is it's brand new shinny and looks mint which fits with the condition of my car. Downside is that based on the info on this thread seems like it has been replaced sometime and my CSL is missing an origional bit - first non origional bit I have discovered so far :( .
Oh well something to hunt for on eBay and coupe.com. Hopefully a 5 bar might turn up for sale some time. Personally I quite like the full silver bar version like in the photo of this red car below. Does anyone know if these silver 5 bar kidneys versions came on UK RHD CSLs or only the black 5 bar version?

View attachment 23951
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The center slots come out in case you want to have them anodized. They are fragile though.
 
the back side of the 4 bar is much different than the 5 bar - the bars are all all part of the same piece of plastic.
 
That picture of the back side makes me think this change was a 'cost reduction'. Probably significantly less expensive to produce the plastic 4 bar than the original 5 bar. Bars may have needed to be wider and thicker, as the plastics of the early 70's wasn't that great (and, the plastics in most German cars for the rest of the century weren't fabulous either!).
 
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yes Gary, the bean counters in action ... on the coupe, the 3.0s and the 2002 .... as well as the way forward. this also created plastic tabs for mounting the grille ... creating a brittle mount for the ages.
 
No doubt, as assembling the 5 slats when I painted mine took quite a bit of time.

Gary Knox said:
That picture of the back side makes me think this change was a 'cost reduction'. Probably significantly less expensive to produce the plastic 4 bar than the original 5 bar.
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Mal CSL 3.0 said:
Omg, just realised my CSL has the 4 bar grill. The upside is it's brand new shinny and looks mint which fits with the condition of my car. Downside is that based on the info on this thread seems like it has been replaced sometime and my CSL is missing an origional bit - first non origional bit I have discovered so far :( .
Oh well something to hunt for on eBay and coupe.com. Hopefully a 5 bar might turn up for sale some time. Personally I quite like the full silver bar version like in the photo of this red car below. Does anyone know if these silver 5 bar kidneys versions came on UK RHD CSLs or only the black 5 bar version?

View attachment 23951
Click to expand...
Did you ever find a 5 slat grill? I have a 5 slat polished aluminum one in very good condition to sell.
 
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