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The Brady Bunch and the Watergate Five. Presidential privilege, pardon, and peanuts. Earth Day and the EPA. Peace with honor, Big Mac with fries. Bell bottoms and
halter tops. Walking on Earth Shoes. Muscle cars and running on empty.
These were some of the icons of the 70's when BMW introduced what we call the New Sixes, BMW's first luxury, performance sedans, featuring gutsy 6-cylinder engines,
excellent road handling and sleek, Italian styling.
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For the design of the successor to the 503, BMW turned to the Nuccio Bertone styling house
of Turin, Italy. Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the classic 3200 CS of 1962, setting the standard for future CS models of the '60s and '70s. Later in the
decade, Giugiaro would design the first M car, the M1. |
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Following his design of the M10 four cylinder engine for the New Class cars of the '60s,
Alex von Falkenhausen created a six cylinder engine to power the New Sixes. They proved to be as successful on the race track as they did on the road. |
The product line began with the 2.5 liter 2500 model in 1968 and ran until 1977 with the 3.3 liter coupes and CSL racers. These models led directly to the 3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series and 7 Series
models.
 Explore them here!
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Here are the New Six Sedans and Coupes!
Click on an image for more info
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1968-1977
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2500
The original new six was an entry level four-door, medium-priced sedan with style and performance.
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1968-1971
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2800CS
The first of the modern 6-cylinder sport coupes, reviewers called it "irresistible" with "the most efficient and sophisticated in-line six in the world."
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1968-1977
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2800
The 2800 was a 2500 with an engine stroked to 2.8 liters. It had extra features like anti-roll bar, rear self-leveling struts and an electric rear window defroster.
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1968-1971
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2.5CS
A car made in response to the fuel crisis of the mid-70s, the 2.5CS was not available in North America.
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1971-1977
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3.0S/i
With a bigger bore, the original engine grew to 3 liters. The Euro version had 180 hp, but the US model only 170 hp, due to emissions requirements.
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1971-1975
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3.0CS
The ads called it "Bavarian Cream". The press called it one of the best cars in the world. The 3.0 range made its debut at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show.
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1971-1977
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Bavaria
Called "one of the world's great buys in luxury sedans", the Bavaria was a 2500 with a 2800 engine created especially for the US market.
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1971-1972
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3.0CSL
The "L" here meant Lightweight. The car's doors, hood and trunk were made of aluminum. A fabled Group 2 racer.
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1974-1977
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2.8L
The original "L" model, the 2.8L was the long wheelbase version of the 2800. The engine and suspension were identical to the 2800. Only made in Europe.
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1971-1975
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3.0CSi
The sport coupe with Bosch fuel-injection had 200 hp, an optional 5-speed, and a top speed of 137 mph.
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1974-1977
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3.0L/i
The 3.0L was the long wheelbase, carbureted version of the 3.3- liter cars. A 3.0Li fuel-injected version was also built.
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1972-1973
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3.0CSL
This racer had a 200 hp fuel injected engine in stock trim.
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1974-1977
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3.3L/i
The 3.3L was the long wheelbase, carbureted version of the 3.3- liter cars. A 3.3Li fuel-injected version was also built.
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1973-1975
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3.0CSL
The last generation of racer had 206 hp and D-Jetronic fuel injection. Factory racers pushed the limit to over 430 hp.
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