The BMW 3.0 CSL is among the most legendary shapes in the German brand’s history. Based on the already beautiful 3.0 CSi, the CSL was a lightweight homologation special that the brand built to go racing in Europe. Aesthetically, an aggressive front fascia and tall rear wing gave the machine an eye-catching appearance. The mean look earned the car the nickname Batmobile.
The Italian company Riverti Automobili is now aiming to revive the CSL by blending the original’s eye-catching styling with modern underpinnings from a BMW M2. Teaser images give us a great idea of what to expect.
The Riverti Automobili CSL Homage
Riverti Automobili BMW CSL TributeRiverti Automobili
To be clear, Riverti Automobili is not yet announcing the name for this project. We are referring to it as a CSL homage due to how the vehicle looks in the available photos. The notable styling features include the pointy shark-nose front end with a prominent fascia below it and four circular headlights. Farther back, there’s a roof-mounted wing, wider fenders, and a second wing on the decklid. These cues come directly from the 1970s BMW race car, so there’s no hiding this machine’s inspiration.
Some of the darker images indicate there’s an asymmetric duct on the passenger side of the hood near the windshield. Before the full reveal, the company is still showing the body with a stylized body wrap with the letter R decorating the exterior. The roof is black, giving the car a two-tone aesthetic.
There are no teaser shots of the interior yet. Given the sporty exterior, we’d expect a pair of heavily bolstered seats and possibly dumping the rear bench in an effort to save weight.
What Powers This Modernized 3.0 CSL?
Riverti Automobili BMW CSL TributeRiverti Automobili
Riverti Automobili isn’t yet offering any powertrain details about this project, but an Instagram post describes the car as: “Not ‘resto.’ Retro. The difference is everything.” The statement indicates these cars are not restomods that would take the original BMW and update it with modern tech. Instead, the company is focusing on making a modern machine look old-school.
If the builder sticks with the 2027 M2’s stock powertrain, these homage cars could be quite potent. The regular M2 uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six making 473 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque with rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual. The all-wheel-drive version pushes the output to 473 hp and 443 lb-ft with an eight-speed automatic. However, there’s plenty of room for extracting more power because the M2 CS offered 523 hp.
The rear-drive M2 can hit 60 miles per hour in 4.1 seconds, and the all-wheel-drive variant cuts the time to 3.6 seconds. To pay homage to the 3.0 CSL properly, the rear-drive layout with a manual gearbox makes far more sense for these builds. The original 3.0 CSL was never available in the United States because of the model’s focus on touring car racing in Europe. However, some of them have made it here over the decades, and some owners have modified their 3.0 CSi to look more like the famous race cars.
Riverti Automobili BMW CSL TributeRiverti Automobili
The cars initially packed a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-six, and it received a 3.2-liter engine in 1973. In road-going form, the vehicles made as much as 203 hp. While not a massive number by modern standards, it was powerful for the time.
BMW made its own 3.0 CSL homage in 2023. The limited run of 50 examples used the M4 CSL as a starting point but featured an overhauled body to make it look more like the originals. At $750,000 each, they were closer to collectors’ items than something to use as a daily driver.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Since BMW only made 50 examples of its 3.0 CSL tribute, there are still plenty of folks who might be interested in a car blending the classic racer’s appearance with modern technology. Let’s hope this one costs a little less than $750,000.
Riverti Automobili is not yet saying when these builds debut, how much they cost, or how many it plans to build. We will be keeping a close eye on the project, though.
Source:Riverti Automobili
