Historical Perspective: BMW's Coupe Lineage

BMW's tradition of building luxurious yet performance-oriented, four-seat, two-door coupes reaches back to the 1930s with the elegant 327 Coupe. World War II interrupted BMW road car production in 1941 while the company's resources were directed toward military production. The post-war era saw BMW rise from the ashes--literally--to produce first household items, then resume motorcycles, and, finally, cars once Allied occupation forces would allow them to do so. Meanwhile, stalwart employees were reviving BMW racing with homegrown efforts such as the Veritas. But it would be a good 10 years after the fall of the Third Reich before BMW could once again bring us coupes.

The 1956-59 period saw a very small number of V8-powered 502 "Baroque Angel" coupes and alloy-bodied 503 Coupes. While the 503 inherited the 507 roadster engine design and much of its beauty, weight and size made it somewhat ponderous in comparison to its legendary two-seat stablemate. However, this didn't stop George C. Scott from tearing up southern Europe in a 503 cabriolet in the BMW cult classic, "The Last Run." The 503 eventually gave way to the little-known V8-powered Bertone 3200CS (1962-65), the first Bimmer to wear the soon-to-be-vaunted CS moniker denoting "coupe sport." Big, heavy, and once again relatively lacking in the flickability department, the 3200CS Bertone effort was short-lived. BMW was about to usher in a new era of sporting coupes, with lower weight and vastly improved performance.

The progenitor of the E9 CS coupes was the 1965 2000C. The designer, Wilhelm Hoffmeister, is credited with first penning the little forward wedge at the base of the C-pillar that has become a BMW design hallmark known as the "Hoffmeister kink." Apparently, it only seemed kinky the first time, because the same styling cue has not only adorned nearly every BMW since but also many a would-be Bimmer from other manufacturers.

The "S" of later "CS" coupes was left from the decklid of this base model, perhaps owing to its single Solex-carbureted 2.0L 100-hp engine. The 2000CS breathed through twin sidedraft Solex carbs for a healthy 120 hp, but these early models had a rather curious frontal design with large, bulbous headlamps. Many bon vivants of the era straightened their ascots, stroked their sideburns and went across the street to the Mercedes-Benz dealership for a look at the SL. But sufficient numbers apparently found the BMW coupe groovy; the snout endured unchanged until 1968. Today, a 2000C or CS on the market sends collectors scrambling for money market checks.

Its six-cylinder-powered successor, the 2.8L 2800CS, appeared with revised nose in 1968, to be followed by the 3.0L 3.0CS and CSi in 1971. The "i," of course, stands for the coupe's Bosch D-Jetronic fuel-injection system. Other variants include the legendary 3.0CSL lightweight coupes that dominated street and track for much of the 1970s and, at the other extreme, a fuel-sipping 2.5CS that appeared in the European market in 1974-75. While U.S.-specification E9 production actually ended in December 1974, according to BMW, the model sold here well into 1976.

In the early 1970s, BMW was faced with the harsh reality of impending American rollover safety legislation that would effectively preclude sale of the lovely E9 "CS" coupe in this market. The striking E9 design depended heavily on the absence of a B-pillar supporting the roof. Without it and other crashworthiness enhancements, BMW no doubt correctly perceived that the car would not pass the inverted drop that tests roof crush resistance.

Now, one problem with having one of the world's premier automobiles in your model lineup is that you must replace it with something equal or, preferably, better. The E9 was the proverbial tough act to follow, especially at a time when U.S. BMW sales ballooned after the 1975 corporate takeover in which BMW wrested control of the U.S. market from the great automotive tyrant, Max Hoffman. Hoffman had previously imported Bimmers here since the 1950s. With the birth of BMW of North America, sales doubled within three years, rendering the U.S. market a big player in corporate strategy; it's been all good since.