The BMW 3.0 CS is a legendary car that has only grown in enthusiasts’ estimations, especially with its lightweight variant, the 3.0 CSL. That specific model was also marked the debut of the racing M car, though it not badged as such back when it was built. Now, the inaugural Werks 3.0 CSLs—and the very first M car—can be yours.

The 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL Werks Development Car, chassis E9/R1, is up for grabs in the United Kingdom from dealer Dylan Miles, the first time the E9/R1 has ever been publicly offered. Today, the car is powered by a 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine that makes 400 brake horsepower, the same engine that BMW used a few years after this car was built in IMSA. The model is also painted in a livery that will be instantly recognizable to any fan of the marque.

“Over the past decade E9/R1 has benefitted from expert restoration with the absolute focus on preserving the originality of this hugely significant car,” Miles’s listing says. “Having not been seen in public for over three decades, E9/R1 was first demonstrated at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed following restoration where it ran up the hill in pre-homologation 1973 specification.”

The E9/R1 is one of just 21 such examples of werks cars, 11 of which went racing and the rest of which sold to racing teams, sometimes as just the shells. The E9/R1 was later sold to an owner in Mexico City, then passed into the hands of a BMW collector in the 1980s, before landing with its current owner sometime in the 1990s.

Dylan Miles does not quote a price for the E9/R1, but a price in the high six figures would not be a surprise, nor would one in the seven figures, even, given that 3.0 CSLs regularly go for prices approaching half a million dollars. There is no discounting the history here, and that’s one thing that can’t be replicated, or so car auctioneers will tell you. For the true BMW enthusiast with deep pockets, there may indeed be no automobile more special.

Click here for more photos of the 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL.