Features Centre
Look at the Wheels on That: BMW M3 CSL
11 October 2007
With The BMW M3 is one of the most iconic badges in the motorsport world – a car originally designed for the race track. In the 1980’s, BMW’s Motorsport Division was desperate to compete in the European Touring Car Championship, and churned out a track-honed super-coupe – the M3. And in 2003, the German carmaker created the most hardcore M3 variant since – the raucous E46 M3 CSL. Introduced as a special edition road rocket, BMW’s motorsport engineers – M Division – took a standard M3 and relieved it of 110kgs of internal gubbins, including the luxury leather seats, the CD player and air-conditioning. Comfortable it was not. But what they left in was astonishing. The CSL came equipped with a faster steering rack so the driver’s input could be delivered quicker and harder. The suspension was revamped to give more grip in the corners. The brakes were upgraded to give ultimate stopping power and poise. The automatic gearbox’s shift times were reputed to be three-times faster than a six-speed manual. And with the engine, BMW achieved one of the greatest feats in modern automotive engineering. A standard M3 unit will happily pump out 343bhp – a marvel in itself. But the M Division managed to squeeze out 360bhp from a 3.2-litre engine. This meant the road-legal race car could accelerate from 0-60mph in just 4.9 seconds. The car was so hardcore that the special Michelin tyres would only work in dry conditions – show the M3 CSL a wet track, and it would promptly show you a tree. And if you wanted the M3 CSL derestricted – that is, with the 155mph speed limiter deactivated – BMW would ask you to produce a race licence. This was the most focused M3 the company had produced since the original E30 M3 wowed the motoring public all those years ago. Sitting on gorgeous 19-inch wheels that came as standard, the M3 CSL is as much an aural treat as it is physical. When nailing the magnificent straight-six engine that sits underneath the bonnet bulge, drivers can hear that familiar metallic rasp turn into a fully-fledged bark. Shoot the M3 CSL past the 6,000rpm rev mark and the engine changes even more dramatically – the metallic rasp becomes a deafening induction roar, dominating the driving experience and giving the driver a real sense that BMW has let loose an unhinged road-rocket. And the level of grip produced by that suspension and tyre combination is eye-watering – BMW claim cornering forces of well over 1g. The latest M3 sports a 4-litre V8 engine producing 400bhp and technical advances that could shame a space station. But for me, the E46 M3 CSL – with its track focus and uncompromising attitude – is the ultimate heir to the throne of one of the greatest badges in motorsport history. Buy a used BMW M3 CSL on Auto Trader Check out Jeremy Clarkson’s verdict on the CSL. Auto Trader links Look at the Wheels on That The fighter jet-inspired Lamborghini Reventon More Look at the Wheels on That BMW The incredible BMW M3 | ||
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