1968-1975 BMW 2800/3.0 CS

Even when compared to cars of today, 3.0 CS coupes are capable enough in both performance and handling, and drive like a BMW should, with good steering feel and solid roadhandling

by B. Mitchell Carlson

In 1968, $8,178 would buy you a finely engineered German luxury coupe, the new six-cylinder BMW 2800 CS. Or, you could save yourself $300 and slide into the front seat of a Lincoln Continental Mark III. Unsurprisingly, Americans did not choose the BMW in any large numbers, as this was long before the 3-series planted itself permanently on every car magazine’s best cars list, and at least two decades before the M5 would become universally renowned as the world’s ultimate performance sedan. But BMW had to start somewhere, and the 2800 CS was a reasonable attempt at creating some prestige for the marque. Shortly after introducing its new large 2800 sedan in 1968, BMW put its 170-hp, 2.8-liter inline six in the unloved 2000 CS coupe, giving the car a longer, sleeker nose in the process, and the 2800 CS was born. It was just what the coupe needed, giving the car proper long-hood/short-deck proportions and a smoothly flowing greenhouse. But that was the extent of...