The 3.0 CSL was introduced in May 1972 as a lightweight version of the 3.0 CS. The "L" in the designation stood for leicht — light — a departure from the usual BMW convention where it denoted lang (long). A total of 1,265 road cars were built.
Lightness was achieved through multiple measures: thinner-gauge steel for the body structure, deletion of interior trim and soundproofing, and the use of aluminium alloy for the doors, bonnet, and boot lid, alongside Perspex side windows. The five hundred examples exported to the United Kingdom retained soundproofing and electric windows at the request of the British importer, making them slightly heavier than the continental specification.
The engine displacement was initially shared with the 3.0 CS, but was increased to 3,003 cc in August 1972 — achieved by enlarging the bore by a quarter of a millimetre to 89.25 mm. This seemingly trivial change was made deliberately to move the car into the "over three litre" racing category, which permitted greater freedom in engine displacement for competition versions. In 1973, the stroke was extended to 84 mm, raising displacement further to 3,153 cc and producing 206 PS at 5,600 rpm in road-going form.
The full aerodynamic package — air dam, front fender fins, roof spoiler, and a large rear wing — was homologated in July 1973. Because the rear wings were illegal for use on German public roads, they were not fitted at the factory but were placed in the boot of each car and installed by owners after delivery.
The 3.0 CSL's primary competition arena was the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC), where it competed in Group 2 specification. In 1973, Toine Hezemans won the Drivers' Championship in a 3.0 CSL. After a gap in 1974, CSL drivers took the title again in every season from 1975 through 1979 — an unbroken five-year run of dominance that stands as one of the most sustained records in European touring car racing.
Among the notable competitive moments of the CSL's career, the 1973 German Touring Car Grand Prix at the Nürburgring saw Chris Amon and Hans-Joachim Stuck win overall in a 3.0 CSL, with Toine Hezemans and Dieter Quester finishing second in another. Hezemans and Quester also co-drove to a class victory at the 1973 24 Hours of Le Mans, underlining the car's competitiveness across circuit types.
In the United States, BMW entered the 3.0 CSL in the 1975 IMSA GT Championship, with Sam Posey, Brian Redman, and Ronnie Peterson each winning races during the season.
Beyond its Group 2 ETCC campaign, the 3.0 CSL was also raced in Group 4 specification. In this form, notably when driven by Hans-Joachim Stuck, the car competed against racing versions of the Porsche 911 and Ford Capri.
BMW developed an expanded version of the car, the 3.5 CSL, for Group 5 Special Production racing. With this model, BMW won three rounds of the 1976 World Championship for Makes, extending the CSL's competitive reach into the top tier of international sportscar competition.
The 3.0 CSL also became the subject of the first two entries in BMW's Art Car programme, in which prominent artists painted road or racing cars as moving works of art. Alexander Calder created the first BMW Art Car on a 3.0 CSL, followed by a second 3.0 CSL painted by Frank Stella. The series, which began with these two examples, became a long-running cultural initiative for the manufacturer.
The 3.0 CSL's racing programme defined BMW's motorsport identity during the 1970s and established the manufacturer as a serious force in international circuit racing. The six ETCC Drivers' Championship titles and consistent performance across Group 2, Group 4, and Group 5 competition gave BMW a competition pedigree that formed the foundation for subsequent M division efforts. The aerodynamic "Batmobile" specification cars remain among the most recognisable touring car racers of their era, and the CSL's legacy was formally acknowledged by BMW with a concept tribute car in 2015 and a limited production homage model in 2022 based on the M4.