1974 BMW 3.0 CSA E9

• Launched in 1968, the E9 Coupe was one of the most handsome cars ever made by BMW, sleek and elegant with an airy cabin, slim windscreen pillars and a large glass area
• Utilising the 3.0-litre, M30 6-cylinder, the twin carburettor CS produced a useful 180bhp
• Nicely finished and expensive when new - the 3.0 CSA cost more in the UK than an Aston Martin DBS
• Only 355 were produced in 1974 with total CSA production worldwide numbering a paltry 3,667
• UK-delivered in right-hand drive, this automatic CS is superbly finished in Ceylon Metallic with a lovely original interior
• Originally used as a showroom centre-piece, driven minimally and latterly stored, the car was recently fully recommissioned (photos listed)
• Just two previous keepers, 15,600 miles, lots of history, its full original book-pack, old registration book and Heritage Certificate

In 2015 our vendor was on the look-out for a low mileage, matching-numbers BMW 3.0 CS. After much searching, he came across 'UPL 610M', first ordered and owned by a Mr George Allen, of Portadown County Armagh, in Northern Ireland back in 1973. Mr Allen was a prominent local businessman and owner of a car dealership in Northern Ireland, called 'Allens Autos' (a garage sticker is still on the car) and for many years, the car was on display in their main showroom before George took up personal ownership. Given the access George Allen had to other cars, it was rarely used and by the early 1990s still had less than 16,000 miles on the clock.

In November 1991, Kevin McGarrity (a Belfast-born Formula 3 racer) took ownership of the car and, right up until 2014, he kept it tucked away in a discrete lock-up garage in Londonderry. Kevin had fully intended to restore the BMW, however, by 2014 with it left unattended in the lock-up, the car was beginning to look very tired, and had deteriorated to the point where Kevin felt it was beyond his abilities. Consequently, the car was advertised on Car & Classic, where it was spotted by our vendor. After several lengthy conversations, a deal was struck, and five weeks later the car was shipped over from Belfast and delivered to the workshop of specialist classic restorers 'AV Classics' in Bedfordshire for a complete external restoration.

AV Classics set about logging the extent of the work that was required along with the necessary parts. The entire interior had survived very well and it was decided to leave that intact, however, the bodywork was a different story. Although the structural integrity of the car was very good, some of the exterior panels were poor and were replaced with genuine OEM parts. The AV Classics bare-metal paint process is an exacting 14-coat procedure, using PPG paint products and 3M preparation materials. During the initial manufacturing process at BMW, as new metal is let in, it's protected by a localised application of copper spray. During the restoration, prior to commencing the respray, the copper spray protection is removed, and the shell is given a full coat of etch primer and epoxy primer which is baked for 30 minutes at 60 degrees. A thin skim of filler is applied to any areas that require final shaping and panels are filled and correctly gapped.

The epoxy primer was further hand-shaped and sanded back with 80 grit and finally finished in 180 grit. This 3.0 CSA was now ready for the paint shop. The paint shop prepared the body with 3 to 4 coats of high build primer before being baked for 40 minutes at 65 degrees. After baking, the material is allowed to settle so that any sinking can take place. The primer coat is flatted and shaped by hand with 120 grit and finished in 180 grit. The shell was then re-primed with a further 3 coats of high build primer, baked again and allowed to dry before being hand blocked and flatted again with 240 grit followed by 320 grit. It was finally finished by DA sanding with 500 grit. The prepped BMW shell was now seam-sealed and was ready for the final colour application of the base coat. This BMW