BMW 3.0 CSL Might Be More Expensive In Spain Than Anywhere Else

Feb. 15, 2023 9:20 AM ET by Karl Furlong Auctions / 4 Comments

This example is one of just 50 3.0 CSLs that will be produced.

One of only 50 examples of the BMW 3.0 CSL has arrived in Spain, where it will be sold via a private auction system with an exorbitant starting price of €800,000, which works out to around $857,000 at current rates. That's even more than the €750,000 asking price confirmed by BMW last year, making it the most expensive BMW you can buy by a wide margin, and one of the most expensive to ever be sold by the Bavaria-based brand.

Because of the car's exclusivity, high value, and the high level of interest in it, the company has had to rethink the conventional sales formula to create an "equitable system of opportunities for stakeholders." Supporting BMW Iberica in Spain for the sale of this 3.0 CSL, number 41 of the 50 to be made, will be a company called SoulAuto Inversions S.L.

BMW M

BMW M

Any money raised from the auction above the recommended retail price will be donated in full to a charitable cause, although what this cause is hasn't been specified just yet. Considering the rarity of the 3.0 CSL and what this hallowed badge means to car collectors, we would not be surprised if the final bid far exceeds the starting price and possibly extends into seven-figure territory.

Interested bidders will have to register via the SoulAuto platform, where they will fill out the required information, and the "legitimacy of intention to purchase" will be established.

BMW M

BMW M

Participants will also have to be recognized as verified BMW M customers to partake in the auction; anyone who can drop $850k on a new car probably already has a decent M car collection filled with M3 and M5 models. The auction began on February 14, with the last bidding day being February 28.

Revealed last year as part of BMW M's 50th-anniversary year, the 3.0 CSL is as pure an M car as you could hope for in 2023. It has a 552-horsepower 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine, the most powerful inline-six mill ever from BMW, with a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive. Several components of this coupe are crafted from carbon fiber, and many are produced by hand. Much time was spent optimizing airflow, and the rear wing is an obvious throwback to the 3.0 CSL Batmobile.

BMW M

Shortly after its unveiling, BMW told us that the CSL would not be homologated for the US, but we suggested at the time that a few examples might end up on local soil under the Show or Display rule.

As magnificent as the 3.0 CSL is, we still question whether it is so much more valuable than the M3 CS or M4 CSL. Well, the auction in Spain should answer just how much well-heeled collectors are willing to spend on this BMW, and we'll be sure to update you when the auction concludes at the end of the month.

BMW M

BMW 3.0 CSL Might Be More Expensive In Spain Than Anywhere Else

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BMW 3.0 CSL Might Be More Expensive In Spain Than Anywhere Else

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