One thing I especially like about the BMW 6-cylinder is that parts are easy to find. BMW built a lot more Bavaria sedans that use the same block and most of the coupe's engine parts. I owned a '74 Bavaria 3.0S, which was basically a CS mechanically. These cars can be purchased for a song, rolling warehouses of spare parts. There are many that have upgraded to newer 3.5-L engines as they're even easier to come by. The benefits of the larger displacement mill are obvious, while they supposedly bolt right into place and pose no disconcerting weight penalties. I even know of a fellow who dropped an M5 engine and brakes into his CS coupe - now that's more like it.
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| The BMW CS 3.0 has a great interior which is well crafted out of high-grade materials. (Photo: www.bmw6er-club.com) |
But I'm getting ahead of myself. The wear of the leather driver's seat and rubber pedals of the car I was driving looked like the 72,000 miles were original, not too new but then again not falling apart, and the owner further swore on it. The 3.0 CS has a superbly crafted interior, incorporating high-grade materials and surprisingly intuitive controls - excepting the backwards placement of the turn signal. There's plenty of room inside, front and back, and headroom shouldn't be too much of a problem for taller occupants if in the front, even with the sunroof in place which was the case for this example.
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| But it's how the CS drives that completely wins the heart over. (Photo: www.bmw6er-club.com) |
Even more impressive than the ergonomically designed interior was the cars superb driving dynamics. At that point I had owned a variety of newer Audis and BMWs, and the CS was at least as well sorted as these. I was amazed at its nimble character, how connected to the road it felt. The steering, though not rack-and-pinion, was precise with virtually no dead spot. In truth, its balance was so predictable I found myself tossing it about tight corners with an ease of familiarity, as if we'd been good friends since time immemorial. But then, while I hadn't yet experienced it in the flesh, I had digested so much written material on the car up to this point it's no wonder I felt at home.