RE: Batmobile CSL meets E46 CSL

[neutral 3]

Great to see a feature on the prettiest and most iconic car BMW have ever made, but the original CSL has a steering box, not a rack !

[j90gta]

The E46 CSL looks just like any other E46. The 3.0 CSL on the other hand could never be mistaken for anything else. The purity of the design and the details make it so much more desirable than any modern BMW. The E46 will never look as special in 30 years time. If you're going to build a special car at least make it look the part.

[Mermaid]

j90gta said:

The E46 will never look as special in 30 years time. If you're going to build a special car at least make it look the part.

It will look special enough and it was relatively high volume. Does the standard E9 CSL look that different to the E9 CSi?

The M3 GTS looks special, and low production volume tells you something - would there be appetite for 2000 of these?

70's designers had less input from H & S, the low waist is a feature that makes the car look so elegant.

[Leins]

j90gta said:

The E46 CSL looks just like any other E46. The 3.0 CSL on the other hand could never be mistaken for anything else. The purity of the design and the details make it so much more desirable than any modern BMW. The E46 will never look as special in 30 years time. If you're going to build a special car at least make it look the part.

So you obviously don't think the E46 is a pure design? I'd have to disagree with you on that one. I might be biased and there may be many on the roads, but to my eyes it's still a very handsome car. I remember reading a column by Stephen Bayley a few years ago where he maintained that the E46 coupe was one of the finest designs of any car around

[Ian_UK1]

The E46 in isolation doesn't look bad - I used to like them when they were current, but I think familiarity and time has changed that to a degree.

HOWEVER..... if you look at the pic of the CSLs nose-to-nose in the main article, the E46 just doesn't stand comparison with the design icon that is the E9. Despite the 2 cars being similar in overall size, the older car looks long, sleek and beautifully proportioned, whereas the E46 looks short, dumpy and anything but attractive.

In simpler terms, the E46 is like the resident totty in the local boozer - looks very desirable in isolation, but looks a dog when put next to a supermodel (And the E9 is one of the best looking automotive supermodels there ever was - pure car porn)!

[j90gta]

Leins said:

j90gta said:

The E46 CSL looks just like any other E46. The 3.0 CSL on the other hand could never be mistaken for anything else. The purity of the design and the details make it so much more desirable than any modern BMW. The E46 will never look as special in 30 years time. If you're going to build a special car at least make it look the part.

So you obviously don't think the E46 is a pure design? I'd have to disagree with you on that one. I might be biased and there may be many on the roads, but to my eyes it's still a very handsome car. I remember reading a column by Stephen Bayley a few years ago where he maintained that the E46 coupe was one of the finest designs of any car around

I'm not saying the E46 isn't a great car, it's just that to me it looks like a heavy compact 2 door saloon, whereas the E9 is a proper coupe. Health and safety have moved on and this is a hindrance to being able to design something as light and delicate as the E9. We're always being told how the latest unobtainium is so much lighter and stronger than steel or aluminium. It seems that the entire budget is being put into the drivetrain/chassis and not into making the thing look good. If the production run is relatively small then surely people would still be willing to pay a premium for the way the thing looks.

[dinkel]

http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&a...



I was happy to enjoy a 1986 635 CSi - definately carries on the racy bloodline.

Although this is it:

Roadpresence like not much else.

[Mermaid]

dinkel said:

Although this is it:

Roadpresence like not much else.

The driver - Rüdiger Faltz?

[aeropilot]

For the ultimate cut n shut of an E9..... (or rather 2 x E9's and an E39 M5)



http://www.bimmer-mag.com/issues/116/articles/fran...

[161BMW]

The E46 does look stunning especially BMW UK's example. Period :-)

How many miles are on that :-) ?

[Mermaid]

161BMW said:

The E46 does look stunning especially BMW UK's example. Period :-)

How many miles are on that :-) ?

Suit you well.