The BMW E9 coupe remains one of the most collectible BMWs made in the last few decades, but that doesn’t mean every example that comes up for sale is worthy of restoration. One the tragic flaws about the E9 – easily one of the prettiest cars BMW has ever made – is a high propensity for rust, and this car is no different. Although the seller seems optimistic about the rust being repairable, there’s quite a bit visible in the photos, but manual transmission-equipped E9s are always in demand. Find this 1974 BMW 3.0 CSi here on eBay with bids to $3,550 and the reserve unmet.
The CSi moniker stands for “Coupe Sport Injection,” which is an elaborate way of saying that this E9 came with the fuel-injected inline-six. Among the E9 hierarchy, this is one of the more desirable variants, thanks to the refinement introduced by Bosch D-Jetronic electronic fuel injection. With 200 horsepower on tap and a top speed of near 140 miles per hour, this car was a revelation in the middle 1970s, especially in an era when the domestic manufacturers were cranking out huge, big-body coupes that didn’t handle very well and weren’t all that quick. BMW rolls up with a pillar-less two-door, a manual gearbox, and a lusty six-cylinder engine.
This E9 is offered for sale in Denver, Colorado, and the Colorado license plates suggest it’s been there for a while. The rust situation is an accurate representation of just how difficult it is to restore an E9, as even one that resides in a fairly hospitable state climate-wise is susceptible to rot. However, even with its drier areas in the more mountainous parts of the state, Colorado does use road salt – so if this E9 was used in the winter months, it’s not surprising to see the condition that it’s in. Both fenders have rust and the rockers are compromised, not to mention the rust that’s visible in the body panels like the rear quarters.
However, not all hope is lost as the floors generally appear sound and I’m not seeing major holes in the underside shots. The BMW also comes with its factory alloy wheels, and the seller claims it has a red interior, which would be a desirable feature if it’s savable. However, given this E9 has been stored outside with no sun protection, it seems likely that the seats and headliner will require total restoration, a hunch that only intensifies with the lack of interior photos included in the listing. Overall, there’s no doubt this is a desirable specimen; the question is how much appetite bidders have for a project car with a reserve.
Oy, you know, it’s sad to see this, I remember when a good friend traded his Vega GT( which was a fun car) on a ’73 2002 Tii, we were flabbergasted at such a quality car we never heard of, and then, there was another better yet, the 3.0 CS. While Colorado does use salt on the main highways, secondary or city streets do not. It’s partially why my Jeep is relatively rust free, it can’t go on main highways well. This seems pretty wasted, even by Colorado standards, and may have spent time in the salt when new elsewhere. In the 70s, BMW cars were practically unheard of back where I come from, but that sure changed from these, what I call, humble beginnings. Most BMW owners will have nothing but a BMW, and my daughter has one, loves it, even though I suggested the Caddy, she will probably buy another.
Not e-nuff of this E9 left to get ex-cited about.
E9 bodies were made by Karman. Inside the closed areas of the body there is virtually no rust protection. They literally rust from the inside out due to condensation in the rocker panels. If you can see it’s this bad it’s gone inside the body. These also rust on the firewall behind the glove box where water gets trapped from under the fenders, and that’s a major tear up to get to. If you tanked this to remove the paint and rust there would be little left of the bottom half of the car. It’s basically a parts donor car and there’s not much good left of that. Run Forest Run!!!
”It’s an ex-parrot…”
“It’s just pining for the fyords…’
Guess the interior must be reallllllly nice.
Post Toastie
I love early BMWs, and it’s sad to see this E9 in such deplorable condition. It makes you wonder why no one tried to save and repair it years ago, when there was something to repair. Hopefully there’s enough left that it can provide for another car’s restoration.
Also the seller calls it a 72 with just “surface” rust, and the bidding is up to $4k
Karmann perfected rust, then licensed it to the Italians.
It was the Soviets, working with and for Fiat that developed a special steel that rusted upon exposure to sunlight, clear air, human breath, oil, paint, and ultraviolet rays.
Seeing a car like this in this condition makes one bite one’s knuckle and exclaim, “Who would do something so heinous as to abandon a 3.0 CSi?” This person should be horsewhipped.
They were rusty old cars and lrepair was not vlable. No change there for this car, probably. I agree, it’s a pity
I had a neighbor that bought one of these after driving a new Honda for about a year. The Honda was rotting from the inside out ( not unlike all Japanese brands today) since he bought it new. He came home with a 3.0 like this one. It was a great driver. Not too reliable though. I think he sold it back to a BMW mechanic about 2 years later. He then was into Toyotas. After replacing them every 2 years due to rot and other problems he started buying American pickups. I still know him and see him driving American diesel pickups. He’s got 900k miles on his old Ram.
I don’t know where you and your neighbor live, but we have owned three Toyota vehicles (after moving over from Volvos/SAAB). They were/have been beyond reliable (literally never in the shop for anything beyond maintenance) and never exhibited any rust or “rot”. The first one was totaled by a hit and run driver, the second one was sold at a profit after three years and our current RAV4 has been flawless. I’m not sure that I can say that about any US built car that I have owned.
I’ve personally owned many many American brand and built vehicles. None of them have ever rotted out like Japanese brands. Plus, Toyota is famous for engine sludge and unintentional acceleration defects. I doubt I would ever even ride in one.
1) Japanese cars today do not rot quickly and 2) there are no junk ‘Merikun pickups with 900k. But a nice try at trolling! :)
Apparently you dont live anywhere near water -have you heard about Toyota trucks frame issues ?
Another trolling denier. Thanks for participating while your Toyota is in for another frame rot recall
If the seller has any sense, he will immediately lower the reserve to the current bid and get out while he can. That there money pit is deep, dark, and dangerous.
This is good for nothing but parts and rebar.
Waited a couple of decades too long to sell.
Sadly, the rust we see is only the tip of the iceberg.
Is this even a parts car??
I’ve personally owned many many American brand and built vehicles. None of them have ever rotted out like Japanese brands. Plus, Toyota is famous for engine sludge and unintentional acceleration defects. I doubt I would ever even ride in one.
I estimate that I have owned 40+ vehicles in my lifetime- American, British, German, Swedish and Japanese. The Japanese cars have been by far the most reliable, and I’ve never experienced rust, starting with a second generation Civic (of which I have owned three) in the 1970s. We put over 100,000 trouble free miles on the first two Toyotas that we owned and are pushing the same mileage number on the current one- no issues to date in a 2019 RAV4. Boring, actually, after the thrill of driving a Range Rover for years, contemplating whether we will actually make it to our destination. I find your comment odd- Toyota is the number one selling brand in the United States. Our town is crawling with Toyota RAV4s and pickups- I guess that we are fans of sludge and rot. Are you referring to 1960s vintage Japanese cars by any chance?
Nope. I’m thinking about Toyotas famous frame rot problems they still can’t address. I’m thinking about Honda’s famous takata airbag defects that injure or kill more than any other automaker. Nice try though trying to splash water on a grease fire
Hey, if some of the Mopars we see here can be brought back, so can this CSi.
The seller is flaky, so buyer beware. Does not have a stellar rating, claims only surface rust, and also states that there is no reserve, yet reserve has not been met.
This E9 is doing what E9s do – rust. I know some owners of garaged, well taken care of E9s who refuse to even wash their cars for fear of encouraging rust.
I’ll pay good money for the wheel shown in one of the photographs (and other three, hopefully).
These M9’s are so desirable it’s a shame someone let this happen to it.