BMW’s M division shocked the world overnight, with the stunning rebirth of an icon: the 2023 BMW 3.0 CSL.
Celebrating 50 years of the Bavarian automaker’s storied motorsport division, the 3.0 CSL represents a final touchpoint of half a century of experience, and carries all the hallmarks of a classical driver-focused M car. It has six straight up front, trailing wheels, with two seats and a manual H-pattern in the middle.
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To pay tribute to half a century of the M division, only 50 BMW 3.0 CSLs will be built, offered “especially to loyal and passionate fans of the BMW M brand”.
The distinctly retro design’s long wheelbase and roofline suggest the car is based on the M4, built on top of BMW’s flexible CLAR platform and the current M4’s excellent S58 twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six. Powered by a modified version of
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Displacement has been increased from 2979cc to 3153cc, deploying a maximum output of 412kW/550Nm – marking the most powerful six-cylinder ever fitted to a road-going BMW. The super-strong six-cylinder breathes through a titanium exhaust system.
BMW’s excellent six-speed manual is the only transmission available, with revised gear ratios “ideally matched to the performance characteristics” of the retro touring car tribute. Of course, modernization is in place with the presence of BMW’s capable ‘Shift Assistant’ auto rev match feature.
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An active M differential features direct power delivery to the rear wheels and is lockable up to 100 percent, complementing the car’s ESC system. Ten-stage traction control ranges from full safety net to ‘you’re on your own, baby’.
A drastically redesigned surfacing is suspended by the M4’s basic double-joint front axle and five-link rear suspension configuration, widening the front and rear tracks and 20/21 inches in the CSL. With centerlock wheels of forged and staggered Y-spoke locked in the corner. – Michelin performance tire specific compound.
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Of course, you don’t revive such a hallowed nameplate without its fair share of nostalgic design choices, and the Gen-Alpha 3.0 CSL is positively nodding to BMW’s sporting past.
Like BMW’s earlier collectible sports models, such as the E92 M3 and F82 M4 GTS, M Divisions’ latest halo model has purely two M carbon bucket seats, with the second row a snug pair of integrated helmet compartments. has been replaced. Carbon fiber lashing adorns the dashboard, steering wheel and center console, along with suede seat inserts, lower dash and steering wheel.
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Literally, embodying the ‘Coupe, Sport, Lightweight’ moniker, the new CSL is seen clad in carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) on “virtually all bodywork sections”. The classic Batmobile’s box wing, iconic roof spoiler, bonnet-arrow winglets, pumped haunches and jutting front air dam are all superbly present and accounted for.
The icing on the cake, so to speak, is a painstaking recreation of BMW’s iconic tricolor livery, which sees each CSL go through eight assembly cycles at eight individual production stations, including Each car is assembled in three months. The cars are assembled by hand by 30 expert technicians at BMW’s Dingolfing factory, the historic home of the flagship 7 Series – and where Rolls-Royce bodies are produced.
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BMW has not publicly announced a price for its special limited-production 50th anniversary gift. If they’re not already sold, we have to imagine it’s a case of “if you have to ask…”