Coming soon: BMW M4 CSL

In BMW lingo M stands for motorsport, and is the badge under which some of its most legendary performance cars have been created. The original M5 put a racing engine in a luxury saloon for a winning blend that remains the benchmark of its type today while the M3, and more recently the M4 and M2, have carried the motorsport influence into a new age. And, to celebrate turning 50, BMW is celebrating in style with this, the M4 CSL.
Fans of the brand will recognise CSL as a badge of honour reserved for the most exclusive of fast BMWs, the letters representing the ethos Competition, Sport, Lightweight. First seen on the legendary 3.0 CSL of the early 70s it was revived 30 years later for the hugely influential M3 CSL, a lightweight version of the regular M3 of the time introducing new technology like a carbon fibre roof, special track-spec tyres and a stripped out (but still luxurious) interior.

The influence of both legendary M cars can be found in this new CSL, which combines the lairy looks of the 70s version with the weight-saving innovations of its millennial successor. By removing the back seats, replacing the front ones with super lightweight race buckets and fitting carbon fibre panels all over the car BMW has saved a total of 100kg over the regular M4, increasing output from the 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engine by 40 horsepower to 550 horsepower for good measure. From nose to tail the CSL packs motorsport-influenced aero, body stiffening and other upgrades to deliver on the promise and sharpen the driving experience yet further.
It’s certainly not shy to look at either, though as Rory discovered when he drove it the standard one is hardly understated. With the bar already set pretty high and its confidence riding a wave there’s no escaping the fact BMW has gone ‘full send’ with this new CSL and you’re not going to be missed if you’re lucky enough to land one.

That may take some doing, given just 1,000 will be made, of which 100 will be coming to the UK priced at just under £130,000. That’s comparable with similarly track-focused Porsches like
911 GT3 the and Cayman GT4 RS, which are exactly the kind of cars the CSL is pitching itself against. 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 190mph are suitably impressive but, inevitably, the metric BMW is shouting loudest about to validate the CSL’s circuit prowess is its lap time around the legendary Nürburgring race track in Germany, which comes in at a smidge over 7min 15sec. That’s quick. Really quick. But the Cayman GT4 RS is 11 seconds faster still with 50 horsepower less. Meaning if you do as BMW no doubt hopes and decide to take your CSL on a track day to really push its limits you may still have to keep an eye on your mirrors…