I’ve been wanting to buy an E9 CSi for over 20 years, flicking through the classic car ads and later scouring the internet. My desire swiftly changed from the CSL to CSi as price hikes rendered that possibility into mere dreams. That sounds like the CSi is a second-best choice, but in reality, I think it’s more comfortable and better value for money.

In truth, the CSL, with its 80kg weight saving, brought its own challenges. Rust was the obvious issue, owing to the lack of a decent (by modern standards) underseal, a floppier body structure due to the thinner gauge panels, and the ease of denting the aluminium opening panels – especially when lifting the bonnet from one corner. So began my hunt for the right CSi.

When I started looking, they were regularly on sale for between £ 5,000 and £ 7,000 in reasonable condition, but with the usual body rust. Even then, I didn’t quite have enough spare cash, and my mechanical and restoration skills are non-existent. Wind the clock forward to 2015, and after several viewings and test drives later, I came across this car for sale in Geneva. A fully restored Schwarz CSi with an original engine, new interior, and bare shell restoration, I thought this was too good not to view. I managed to combine a business meeting in Paris (with McDonald’s, of all the eating establishments to choose from….) with a train ride down to Geneva.

The owner was a smart Slovakian working for the UN in Geneva who had restored the car (in Slovakia) and brought it back to Geneva in late 2014. Upon meeting me at the airport, he took me to a well-lit, dry, and highly secure parking lot opposite the UN buildings and pulled back the covers to reveal a stunning CSi. That was it …I knew this was the car I had been looking for, and that was before he flipped up the bonnet to reveal an immaculate engine bay with polished cylinder head, ports, and cross struts – it was a proper nut and bolt restoration whilst keeping as much or the car original as possible. The exceptions are some favourable BBS honeycombed wheels, bespoke KV rear suspension, and a custom black leather diamond-stitch interior.

The test drive proved my expectations that this was a fully sorted left hooker that drove impeccably well. It was taut and responsive, with an exuberant straight-six now coming through the stainless steel exhaust system. So, to the negotiations – the owner knew how much he had invested in the restoration and clearly wanted to recoup as much as possible. He wanted in the region of £40K (after exchanging Swiss Francs to GBP) plus import duty at 5%. There was no way I wanted to pay that much, so I walked away, thinking, “Patience is a virtue.”

I tried to forget about it and continued to look with the help of John Castle, the then-club director of the CS Register in the UK. In April, I contacted the owner of the Swiss car to see if he had had any success in selling it, not expecting a reply. I was delighted to hear that it was still very much for sale – so a deal was made, and both parties were happy with the result.

Living with the E9 has been a blast, and compared to other classics I have (and owned) – mostly Italian – I can honestly say it has never let me down. Running costs are minimal, and the amount of “smiles for miles” is amazing!!

It is now part of the family and appears at key moments, creating special memories in our lives: high school year-end balls, university graduation days, wedding cars for special friends, and, most recently, period TV dramas and designer photo shoots. A few years ago, Burberry was looking for a 70s classic that they could use in a social media campaign, including both still shots in the studio and a moving video. Initially sceptical, I decided to go with it, which included a full wrap in Burberry tartan! I have never had so many hoots, photos, and people stopping to video the car as I drove it to and from the garage in full Burberry colours.

Following on from the success of my Burberry photoshoot, I decided to have a bit of fun with wedding cars and listed the car on a couple of sites. Drivers cap bought from eBay, white ribbons ordered, and the car detailed, I was ready….I received a few calls, but there was much more interest from friends and family. In the end, I just offered it for beer money. The wedding photo was for my neighbour whose daughter was getting married and wanted an alternative vehicle. Funnily, on the actual day, I was in the awkward and also privileged position to hear the Father and Daughter chat on the way to the church and then the Husband and Wife chat on the way to the venue – very different topics, I can tell you!

In any good marriage, compromise is essential. When we were looking to move in 2019, a garage was on my priority list. As you could’ve guessed, we got a lovely house without a garage, so my car remained in storage, about 30 minutes away. Last year, I finally had the garage built with a future-proof design that allows a small platform to be inserted, enabling one car to sit on top of another. I got the idea when I was at work in NYC, where all their public parking facilities have this system to accommodate lack of space. Whilst under construction, my wife asked, “Why are you getting a stacker? You only have 1, not 2 cars!” Naturally, this has become phase two of the ongoing project.

As a family we go to Goodwood Revival every other year, the last time being the summer of 2024, and here we are dressed up for what is one of the greatest classic car events in the calendar year. With so many classic cars attending from the super exotic to the regular, I am always amazed at how much attention the CSi attracts. On the way down to Chichester I had two cars tail us videoing on their mobiles, and when they eventually overtook us they waved with thumbs up! The car is firmly part of the family and ready to be handed down to one of my daughters when the time comes.

The car is currently being serviced at Munich Legends in Sussex, UK, in preparation for a road trip to Switzerland. If I get the chance, I will share those experiences with you all in a future issue of CS COUPE.