Mushrooms are popping up all year round at BMW’s cylinder tower in Munich city centre. The 50th anniversary of BMW M, the Bavarian automaker’s gaming and sports division, should be properly celebrated. Following the M4 CSL, the new M2 and the first M3 Touring, BMW has unveiled the most powerful model in the company’s history before the start of Oktoberfest at the end of September. : the first vehicle since the legendary M1, developed entirely by M GmbH, the super-fat plug-in hybrid SUV XM stunned the fan community with its 653 HP on the one hand and its insane looks on the other, including the mega double kidneys.
As if all the innovations weren’t enough, BMW now presents another spectacular sports car with the new version of the historic 3.0 CSL. Introduced as a study at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Lake Como in 2015, the model is based on the 1970s model of the same name – now as then the abbreviation coupe, sport, light. Limited to only 50 copies, the sports car is basically a further development of the M4 CSL, which was introduced in May but is ready for some aesthetic and technical changes.
BMW gives wings
The most obvious link to the historic 3.0 CSL is the distinctive mega-wing at the rear, which stretches across the entire width of the vehicle and is closed at the sides like the original model. As in the past, the aerodynamic component is supplemented by a roof spoiler. The front also features yellow laser lights – another homage to the racers of the past.
More power!
Under the hood lies the most powerful straight-six ever fitted to a road-legal BMW M. Derived from the engine of the M4 GT3 DTM race car, the three-liter engine delivers less than 560 hp and 550 Nm of torque, slightly more than the 550 hp M4 CSL. Power goes effortlessly to the rear axle, where it is distributed by a lockable differential of up to 100 percent, accompanied by an orchestra of sounds from titanium rear mufflers, along with a manual six-speed transmission. It shouldn’t take more than 3.5 seconds for the speedometer needle to reach the 100 km/h mark. The end of the speed flagpole will probably only be reached well above 300 km/h.
Inside, it features full carbon bucket seats, CFRP trim strips on the door panels and a white gear knob made specifically for the BMW 3.0 CSL, also reminiscent of the past. One rear seat is missing, replaced by two helmet compartments. Other features include a ceramic brake system and a specially tuned M adaptive chassis with electronically controlled dampers.
The most expensive BMW ever
Assembly of the BMW 3.0 CSL should take at least ten days due to the complex manufacturing process resulting from the large number of carbon fiber parts. The 50 individually numbered vehicles are said to cost around 750,000 francs each. This would also be a record for a car that came out of the Bavarian factory. With that much exclusivity, however, BMW should have no trouble distributing its anniversary rockets among willing collectors. If you don’t want to transfer a lot of money to the Bavarian capital, we recommend the aforementioned BMW M4 CSL: the sports car limited to 1000 copies starts at CHF 215,000, which looks almost modest.