WHAT'S in a name? Well, in the case of the BMW CSL, it could be everything. Coupe, Sport, Light. There is something direct and authentic about this model designation that could only arise from a 1970s German sports car. There was an elegance and honesty to cars of this period and although BMW had produced many beautiful coupes, the CSL was the company’s 'pièce de résistance'.
The CSL was a homologation special - tuned up to compete in the European touring car championship which it won successive titles from 1975 to 1979. Like a fighter competing in its ideal weight division, the CSL was the car everyone knew the E9 could be. David James happens to own such a fighter and is the Romeo to the CSL’s Juliet. A man whose passion for historic racing is only outshone by his desire for historic cars.
Growing up watching hill climbs and later winning rally championships as a co-driver, David always had an appreciation for proper driver’s cars. He once rallied a BMW E9 to great enjoyment and he knew deep down it was love at first sight - “it was just so much fun!” “Through the historic racing community, I was
introduced to some very special cars,” David thinks back happily. It doesn’t take long to hear the joy in his voice. “I still remember just how beautiful they were… they’re just works of art.” David wasn’t one of those guys that came from a wealthy family or heir to a racing legend; his beginnings were humble.
He openly admits being a fly on the wall during those early years, as he “was literally just hanging on." Whether it was Bob Jane’s collection of European treats or his cousins Porsche 930, Paul was simply happy to watch and learn. It wasn’t until his university years when he finally started to get involved. “I still couldn’t afford a car, so I started navigating for mates,” he laughs.
There is a sense that David not only has an aesthetic appreciation of that era, but also the analogue driving that goes with it. “A car moving underneath me doesn’t bother me at all, it’s how we learnt how to drive. We didn’t have ABS or traction control, we just had a lap sash seat belt and the knowledge that if you crashed you were going to die.” David ended up winning a few rallies and Targa
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