Can you share a memorable experience or story related to your M3 CSL?
It was the beginning of 2013, just before the 10th anniversary of the CSL, and practically all the talk on the CSL register forum was about this event. It looked like it was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience – I desperately wanted in.
I was logging on and checking the “cars for sale” section every single day and I was finally rewarded when a sapphire black M3 CSL came up for sale at the very beginning of March. The only problem was that it was almost as far away as you could get from me – in Aberdeen, Scotland. Despite this, it was in good condition.
The owner and I agreed on a price, but before I travelled all that way to view the car, I insisted on some close-up pictures of the interior. The seller kept promising he would send some, but, a few weeks later, he still hadn’t sent them despite my chasing him regularly. It started to become annoying. I didn’t even really want a Sapphire Black car – I feel that the carbon details are lost in the sea of darkness – I really wanted a Silver Grey one, because the beautiful metallic silver grey paintwork is a perfect contrast to the carbon parts. Unfortunately, this was the only CSL for sale at that time, given that most owners on the forum were going to the 10th anniversary trip and did not want to sell before then.
Obviously, I was still scouring the “for sale” section on the forum and, on the 18th of March at 16:08, an advertisement appeared for a Silver Grey one. It had my dream specs and everything – APs, Supersprint, H&R coilovers as well as all the standard parts to boot. Within 30 mins of the advert going live – and having no idea of where the car was located – I had sent the seller a message.
Now, this is where the story starts to get incredible, especially if you believe in fate. This is the reply I got:
Hello Mike,
You are certainly very quick off the mark! The ad only went up half an hour ago. And the news gets a little bit better for you. The car is currently in central Norwich, not far from the cathedral.
My number is 07788 xxxxxx. Give me a call if you’ve got any more questions or if you want to sort out coming to see it.
I’m going to keep the ad up for the time being but rest assured, you’ve got first dibs on it.
Regards,
Jonny
Not only am I located in Norfolk, but my workplace is only a 10-minute drive from where this car was located. As you can imagine, reading his reply, I nearly fell off my chair and I phoned him immediately. Since he was at home, I naturally arranged immediate viewing. The timeline went like this: he posted the advert at 16:08, I messaged him at 16:35, he replied at 16:50, I phoned him, got his address and set off (at high speed) to view the car. By 17:09, he posted that the car was provisionally sold (I had viewed the car and paid a £500 deposit). In total, from posting to selling, it took exactly one minute over an hour… This car was obviously meant to be mine and makes me believe that there is such a thing as fate.
Sadly, as previously mentioned, I wasn’t able to make the 10th anniversary. However, I did get the T-shirt to celebrate the event and intended to keep the car to ensure I could at least attend the 20th anniversary. And, yes, it has worked!