Article Summary
- The MKO E9 CS predates BMW’s modern 3.0 CSL by blending original E9 CS bodywork with E39 M5 mechanicals.
- Under the hood sits the E39 M5’s S62 V8, rated at 400 hp officially and 431 hp on the seller’s dyno sheet.
- Currently listed on Bring a Trailer, the one-off BMW restomod has bids at €42,225 with six days left in the auction.
When the redesigned 3.0 CSL debuted a handful of years ago — in 2022, if you can believe it — it was big news. BMW brought back an iconic nameplate, pulling out all the stops to deliver a faithfully modern reinterpretation of the original 1970s legend of the same name. And while that car is all well and good, someone kind of beat BMW to the punch. Some time in the early 2010s, a German mastermind married original E9 CS bodywork to the mechanical underpinnings of the E39 M5, creating a one-of-a-kind masterpiece dubbed the MKO E9 CS or CSL. Even by restomod standards, this thing raises eyebrows. Crazy enough, there’s now an opportunity for you — yes, you — to buy it for yourself.
What is the MKO E9 CS?
The MKO E9 CS is a mashup of old and (relatively) new: bodywork is all lifted from an authentic E9 CS coupe and stretched over an E39 M5 engine, gearbox, and dashboard. “Stretch” isn’t being used lightly, here, either: the E39 M5 was quite a bit wider than the CS. So, adjustments and modifications had to be made to accommodate. Handmade wheel arches were also required to pull off the, overall rather convincing, illusion. Inside, the car dons a nice set of Recaro bucket seats, a custom headliner, and a handful of other little tweaks, but stays mostly true to the E39 M5 underneath the sheet metal. Those familiar with the car will note carryover gauges, switchgear, and even (working!) cupholders. The listing (linked below) has pictures you can view.
This MKO creation is something special for a few reasons. For one, the quality of work. It’s road-legal in Germany, which is one of the most strict countries in the world when it comes to regulating drivers and the integrity of their respective rides. A quick glance through the seller’s pictures shows an impeccable attention to detail. While the MKO E9 CS touts a six-speed manual — just like the newer 3.0 CSL we’ve driven — the wicked S62 V8 under the hood is a wildly different beast than the more modern CSL’s 3.0-liter, twin-turbo inline-six. While both are undeniably great engines in their own right, there’s something really magical about the S62. The 4.9-liter V8, native to the E39 M5, makes an advertised 400 hp (431 hp according to the dyno sheet provided by the seller) and sounds like nothing made in the last 15 years while doing it.
What’s This Thing Worth?
Well, a test from Motor Trend back in 2016 claimed the “as-tested price” was $165,000. That’s a lot of scratch; for that money, you could very likely buy both a nice original E9 CS and well-kept E39 M5 with some change left over. The thing of it is, though, is that the MKO E9 CS is something else entirely; you’re simply never going to see something like this again, unless you’re ambitious (or crazy) enough to build it yourself. Decidedly, the market will determine exactly how much this crazy thing is worth. Bids sit at €42,225 currently, with six days left remaining on the auction. You can check out the auction yourself here on Bring a Trailer, and I recommend you do!
