bueno, pues un poco de historia, los genes del e9 tienen recorrido, lean lean,
We are inclined to think that the E9 was the sole creation of the BMW design team under Wilhelm Hofmeister but this ignores the contribution of other engineers dealing with the floor pan, engine and production facilities. Design of the 2000CS started in 1962 when the decision was made to drop the 700, 2600, and 3200 and to concentrate production on the Neue Classe and its developments of which the 2000CS was to be the first coupe.
What started as some holiday research into the curious history of BMW representation in the UK after the war, triggered my interest into the factors which influenced the design of our E9s. The first thing which caught my eye was the introduction of the semi-trailing rear suspension for the 700 in 1959. BMW wanted to update the design of the Isetta based 600 to make it more like a normal car with equal width front and rear tracks. The designers were aware of the short comings of the swing axle as used for example by the VW, and the difficulties of having full trailing arms (where do you anchor them on a saloon car chassis?). So, the answer was the half way between the two, the semi-trailing arm arrangement with the arms pivoted at an acute angle to the car centre line. It was an immediate success and soon copied by Mercedes and Rolls Royce. It was used on all BMW models thereafter until the M1 in 1978. The next influence was the floor pan of the Neue Classe 1800/2000 in 1962 with its Macpherson strut based front suspension with front disc brakes and drums at the rear. Competition experience with this layout was very favourable and it was also used for the first 5 and 6 Series models in 1972 and 1976 respectively, albeit with rear disc brakes replacing the drums from the 3.0CS in 1971 onwards.
In the engine department, von Falkenhausen, who raced the 700 for BMW in the 1960s, added two more cylinders to the very successful M10 design with the famous double swirl cylinder head development to create the M30. Paul Rosche only took over BMW engine development after the M30 had been put into production.
The 1800/2000 saloon floor pan, which was adopted for the 2000CS in order to reduce design risk, represented the first step in the E9 body shell development when it appeared in 1965. The 2000CS body shell adopted design features from the Bertone designed 3200CS with its pillar-less cabin, which allows for a good size door for comfortable access, a roof line allowing plenty of glass, a waist line crease from the headlight at the front to the rear light at the rear, and black sill covers, the latter two features giving a striking new, long lean, look. The 3200CS was also the first design appearance of the “Hoffman” kink, the tri-angulation of the corner of the rear windows to give a location for a BMW badge (should it really be known as the Bertone kink?) which is a definitive BMW design feature still in use today.
It is probable that production costs were much in Hoffman’s mind as his team worked towards the first E9, the 2800CS, because he knew that it would follow the 2000CS on the production line at Karmann. Far better to keep as many of the body panel dies in use as possible. So, he kept the rear design of the 2000CS from the A post backwards, and by adding 75mm to the floor pan at the front he fitted the longer 6 cylinder M30 substantially to the rear of the front suspension sub-frame to give a desirable 60/40 weight distribution. To save cost the slightly narrower rear design of the 2000CS with separate coil spring and shock absorber was retained instead of using the much improved “coil over” shock absorber design of the new E3 saloon – a great shame which only became apparent with hindsight when the CSL started its long successful competition career and its road holding was not considered as good as that of the E3. The E9 ended with a front track of 1466mm and 1422mm at the rear although visually it is hardly noticeable. At the front Hofmeister reverted to a more practical and indeed more identifiable 4 headlamp arrangement with the “sharknose” V shaped front bonnet edge raked back down to the front valance. As was later discovered this produced significant front end lift at speed which had to be
countered at first by a front undertray, and later by a front spoiler for the left-hand drive CSLs.
In Italy, the Italians had introduced a low-pressure casting technique for alloy wheels and these handsome spoked wheels were adopted to give a clean break from the 2000CS pressed steel design. BMW also started to focus on safety and using crash tests the front cabin bulkhead was designed to deflect the engine downwards in the event of a heavy front impact. Seat belt mounting points were incorporated although seat belts were optional extras for the 2800CS but became standard for the CSi and CSL.
The E9 was expensive but riding on the popularity of the 2002 it was recognised as a car for the enthusiast who wanted something different from a Jaguar or Mercedes and were not fussed about the price.
And so, the legend of the E9 was born. Like all the best mongrel dogs it had most of the best features of its various parents and we have become the beneficiaries
