Fountain Square is an old Indianapolis neighborhood that lies just southeast of downtown. It’s in the beginning stages of gentrification, which means that the trappings of blue-collar life – the neighborhood bars, the appliance rental places, and what was the last five and dime in town – are giving way to hip, happening, and expensive entertainment venues. That’s sad for the longtime residents who are starting to not recognize their neighborhood. It’s great, however, for carspotting, as the gentrifiers sometimes wheel out in their old cars to soak in the burgeoning culture. Assuredly, that’s what brought out this BMW 3.0 CS, which I think is from 1974, on a night I was meeting my brother at one of those hip, happening spots for drinks.
We’ve covered the BMW E9 coupe before, here and, indirectly, here. So I’ll boil down the history: Produced from 1968 to 1976, E9 coupes were officially sold only from 1970 to 1974 in the United States. They were available here first as the 2800 CS and then as the 3.0 CS, the model numbers representing the engine’s displacement. These were expensive cars for the time, with prices in line with $60-75,000 in 2013 dollars.
These cars put BMW on my personal automotive map. I’m sure I saw a couple 2002 sedans in the 1970s, but just thought they were odd foreign jobs. But the graceful and airy greenhouse of the E9 coupe really spoke to me then, and on the rare occasion I’d see one I’d just gawk as it passed by, gobsmacked by its beauty.
The setting sun’s rays danced beautifully across this E9’s polished roof and decklid. I think this one is painted Siena Brown, though while researching the E9 I found photos of cars that looked to be this color but were said to be painted Malaga, a shade of dark red. Whatever color it is, it’s just as gorgeous as it ever was.
WOW! Coincidence. I found this 2800 CS in the parking garage where I work 2 days ago
Those Bimmers can handle, look how that one sticks to the roof…..
Its the parking lot on elysium or he is Kier Dullea
It seems like I can only put 1 image per post. There’s one more
I apologize for them being upside down. I don’t know how to fix it other than turn my phone over for future photos. Maybe someone here can fix them for me 🙂
Open file with Windows Paint, enter CTRL-R to rotate 180 degrees, then save.
These cars are too nice to just let them hang from the parking garage ceiling…
Although the bespoilered racing versions were known as Batmobiles, so maybe a certain amount of ceiling-lurking is apropos…
LOL!!! All of you just made my night!!
LOL… Point well taken
The CS has to be one of the most beautiful cars of all time! Such an airy greenhouse and breathtaking lines. I miss low trunk lids.
+1 it’s another on my must have list.My favourite BMW of all
What a gorgeous car, love the color. There were interesting similarities between the BMW and Mercedes line-ups. The Mercedes W111 coupe, the one that ran until ’71 as a 280SE 3.5 coupe and cabriolet in our market, predated the W108 sedan by 4 years and introduced the new design theme, namely stacked headlamps and vestigial tail fins. The BMW E9 coupe predated the E3 sedan by 4 years as well.
The BMW made a prettier coupe after the front end change (but just barely) and, as much as I love the E3, would have to say the 108 was the prettier sedan.
I liked that, introducing the new look first on the coupe then later on the more mainstream sedan. The coupes were clearly top of the line and set the tone for the brand. Like the Mark series at Lincoln.
Way too many models today if you ask me. I believe Paul Bracq was the designer for all 4 of the cars I mentioned.
As I’m sure everyone knows the E9 is one of the most rust prone cars from the era, the bodies were made by Karmann.
What a beautiful interior. Does ANY car offer something like that now that the ordinary average guy salary can buy?
The ordinary average guy couldn’t afford it back then, either. Note the “$60k to $75k in 2013 dollars” comment.
Kiwi racer Gentleman Jim Richards, the rainmaster raced these cars with much success in Australia they were quite fast on a track.
Nah, that was the 635 in the JPS livery that he drove in the ATCC.
These are just such elegant cars – a design that has aged just so well. I have found memories of old(ish) Beemers, as dad had an early 5-series than I went on quite a few trips to Phillip Island in.
The definitive Anti-Brougham!
Great photos!
True beauty on wheels!
What I’ve always found interesting: the number of marques who copied the BMW’s design -and specifically the Hofmeister Kink in the C-pillar.
Below, Honda copied not only the C-pillar, but literally the entire green house of the E-9 which, as other posters have noted, is sporty and airy. This ’88 Prelude is arguably the prettiest Japanese coupe of its era -but only the E-9 has stood the test of time.
I agree, that vintage of Prelude was pretty, the prettiest Prelude of the whole series. That BMW coupe is gorgeous though.
these are still the most beautiful bimmers ever made to me ! Maybe the ultimate expression of the early corvair’s “soapbar” styling
Love that green house.. Awe heck I love everything about these cars. My wife talked me out of buying two surprisingly solid CS’s about two years ago. They where both black and both where avaliable from the same seller for $6500 for bothe of them. The thing with them is our salty moist climate was never easy in a car and while they both looked good Im sure they had some, probably alot of hidden rust.
I’ve said it before: Even battering ram bumpers couldn’t ruin this car. Hell, even brown paint looks good on it.
I had a Bavaria of this vintage. Great car, but I really wanted one of these.
Maybe not ruin, but they look a lot better with the bumpers in their intended place. Would anybody care if the extensions and possibly rubber facings (depending if the bumper is presentable without mounting holes for the rubber) were forgotten about when the car was restored?
Great find and well done. I love these as well. There was always something about the way high-end German cars used brightwork in that era – it was almost jewel-like.
I have never seen one of these in that color – it suits the car very well.
When I was five (1972) a neighbor traded in his Thunderbird for a new 3.0cs. As a budding auto enthusiast I struggled to figure out where that car fit in the known hierarchy of brands. The most popular brand in the neighborhood was Oldsmobile. There were a few Buicks, Mercurys and Chryslers, one Lincoln and an equal number of Cadillacs and Chevys. My Mom owned an Olds Ninety-Eight, my Dad, a Salesman, had a Ford LTD company car. Only three “foreign” cars were in the neighborhood. A Mercedes sedan, a Rolls-Royce and another car I could not understand at all, a Datsun 240z. Wrongly I placed that BMW as an equal to a Pontiac LeMans. It seemed logical. It took sixteen more years and 20 minutes in the drivers seat before I understood BMW’s place in the automotive order. The man that sold my parents several Oldsmobiles was now selling BMWs. Somehow he heard that Mom’s 3 year old Ninety-Eight blew it’s engine just after the warranty ended. He left a new 528 in the driveway, with a note saying Mom could use it until her car was fixed. No strings, said he felt guilty for selling my parents a lemon. He promised that BMWs don’t blow up and that she would get used to the firm ride and heavy steering. Three days later my parents bought that car and I finally figured out where BMW as a brand fell in the order of things. (18 years, and 300K miles later I was in a catastrophic accident that destroyed the car but left me unhurt.)