New here, RHD CSL in Sri Lanka

[RohJay]

HI all,

I just purchased a '73 CSL today. Bought it from the 2nd owner, who

has had it since 1976 and is now too feeble to drive. Was used in UK

until '87 and since has been here in Sri Lanka. It happens to be the

only E9 coupe in the country. i have always loved the E9 design and

kept a watchful eye on this particular car. Which i gather a lot of

other local collectors were also eyeing. I guess i was lucky enough to be

there at the right time.

Its vin - 2285442, RHD CSL in Ceylon (which ironically is what Sri

Lanka was called whilst under British rule). Car needs a lot of

attention and i plan to do a baremetal strip down. it currently has

Batmobile kit on it, which seems rather aftermarket. Not decided if i

want to retain it (or the color!). Will post pictures on sunday, on

account of my camera going AWOL :-(

I am new to classic BMW's, my forte is VW's ('53 Oval and '59 Ghia

coupe) and latterly Porsches ('89 944S2 and '70 914).

Problem i face here is sourcing of parts. In the past i have relied

heavily on eBay, but i don't see too many E9 items on offer, compared

to the VW and Porsche parts i'm used to. I would very much appreciate

any and all input when i eventually get down to sourcing parts.

Oh and i was lucky to recieve a 2 volume set of the factory Repair

Manual with the car!

Rgds,
Rohantha

 

[Malc]

Rohantha
Welcome to the group! Nice to have a member in yet another country.
I hope we can be of help to you!

For parts your best bet is to source them from Walloth & Nesch of Germany at www.wallothnesch.com
They are all very helpful and prices are reasonable. There are other sources as well so you could shop around for the parts you may need.

Your car may indeed be a genuine CSL, you can check the VIN number with BMW Mobile Tradition who can sometimes tell you a little more about the car such as when it was built, original colour etc. etc.
If it has a genuine "batmobile" wing kit fitted this is worth keeping, even if you remove it from the car, as they are no longer available new and rare, thus they are valuable.

Looking forward to your pictures

Malc

 

[Honolulu]

Welcome indeed

For the relatively small number of coupes produced, they seem to have filtered out to just about everywhere.

You will soon find that compared to VWs (and maybe even large-production Porsches) coupes body parts can be very expensive. Fenders for 2000 USD? Windshield 1000 USD? Mechanical items are shared with the 4-door cars and other models of the time, and thus relatively easy to obtain. Shipping will be a major concern.

Post to the board and we'll be sure to help when we can.

Confirmation of a "real" CSL can be made by checking Art Wegweiser's site www.bmwcsregistry.com, or you can email to the factory and they will confirm you build date, original dealer and body color. Factory doesn't have much else to offer in the way of information.

Oh, and did I mention body repair can be hideously expensive? Car bodies were built by Karmann (remember your Ghia) and as common during those times, little attention was paid to long-term rust resistance.

Charlie

 

[Bill Riblett]

Congratulations.
According to my source (original BMW parts books), 2285442 is one of the 500 RHD CSLs built for England, in the range: 2285001 - 2285500.

When you repaint, I'd urge you to keep it Ceylon. It is a beautiful color for coupes. Look at the pictures just posted of the Ceylon car for sale.

 

[michael]

According to the CS registry the car you have purchased is an original RHD CSL. (see link below)

It would be in your best interest to keep the original color of the car when repainting/restoring. Ceylon is really a great color for the E9, particularly the CSL.

Good luck and welcome to the madness!

http://www.bmwcsregistry.org/Coupe_Information/e9production.html

 

[RohJay]

Many thanks for the welcome and the info.

Walloth & Nesch look very promising. Will go through their catalog soon enough.

re. Batmobile kit, Unfortunately i don't think it is an original.

I did cross check the VIN prior to purchase, but thanks for the confirmation.

Thanks for the advice on retaining the original color. i will certainly keep that in mind when time comes.

Here are some pics, unfortunately taken in the confines of my garage - it rained all day today!