New BMW 3.0 CSL production underway soon: most powerful six-cylinder BMW ever
February 17, 2023 by carwow staff
Car changing is a big deal
Meet the BMW 3.0 CSL, a modern interpretation of the classic sports coupe that packs the most powerful six-cylinder engine ever fitted to a BMW road car. Read on for full details…
- New BMW 3.0 CSL revealed
- Limited-edition based on M4 CSL
- Most powerful 6cyl BMW engine ever
- 560hp is 10hp more than M4 CSL
- six-speed manual gearbox
- Rear-wheel drive
- Limited to 50 cars worldwide
This is the new BMW 3.0 CSL. It’s the perfect limited-edition BMW for people who think the M4 CSL is too subtle.
It’s also one of the rarest and most expensive BMWs of all time and the most powerful six-cylinder road car the company has ever made.
New BMW 3.0 CSL production to start soon
Production of this new limited edition BMW 3.0 CSL will start in the spring, and it’s not a simple process. Each car is hand assembled and takes two weeks to build.
Underneath the skin the basic shell is shared with the BMW M4 CSL, however it’s extensively modified on a dedicated production line, the same one where the BMW M4 GT4 race car is made.
The M livery is hand painted and the widened wheel arches and wild body kit are fitted without a robot in sight. Components such as the axles are also modified to work with the race-inspired centre-lock alloy wheels. Each 3.0 CSL then undergoes a final shakedown run on BMW’s own test track before being signed off.
New BMW 3.0 CSL design
The ‘normal’ M4 CSL has plenty of eye-catching upgrades, but this new 3.0 CSL is on a different level.
BMW has got rid of the M3 and M4’s coffin-shaped grille openings and added some new brushed-aluminium frames with triangular mesh inside instead.
The two round intakes on the sides of the bumper were inspired by the classic CSL, and so were the vertical carbon fins that run down each side of the bonnet.
Notice the extra creases that loop around the yellow headlights? BMW first showed these on the 3.0 CSL Hommage Concept from back in 2015.
This concept also inspired the 3.0 CSL’s centre-locking wheels, rear wings and new bumpers.
The majority of this bodywork is constructed from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic with plenty of parts being made by hand.
New BMW 3.0 CSL interior
You’d be forgiven for thinking the new 3.0 CSL comes with the same interior as the M4 CSL. They look pretty similar at a glance, and neither of these cars get any back seats.
You still can’t adjust the full-carbon bucket seats yourself. You have to take the car to a BMW dealer which seems pretty bonkers on such a high-end car…
The new 3.0 CSL gets different logos on the headrest, and some new horizontal stripes on the backrest that are supposed to make the seats look a bit more like the ones in a classic 3.0 CSL.
The biggest difference of all is right in the middle. It’s the gear lever. Yes, this new 3.0 CSL comes with a manual gearbox.
New BMW 3.0 CSL engine and performance
The new 3.0 CSL comes with the most powerful 6-cylinder engine BMW has ever put in a production car. It’s based on the same 3-litre twin-turbo engine as the one in the M4 CSL but it now produces 560hp instead of 550hp.
Unlike that car, the 3.0 CSL comes with a six-speed manual gearbox but both CSL-branded BMWs come with rear-wheel drive.
BMW hasn’t actually quoted a 0-60mph time for the new 3.0 CSL. That said, you can guarantee this new car will be significantly quicker than the standard M4 with a manual gearbox. That car accelerates from 0-60 in 4.2 seconds.
New BMW 3.0 CSL price
BMW is only going to make 50 of these new 3.0 CSLs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the M division.
That means the new 3.0 CSL is 20 times rarer than the uber-limited edition M4 CSL – only 1,000 of those cars will be made.
It’s 10 times more exclusive than the track-spec Giulia GTA and GTAm; Alfa Romeo is only going to make 500 of those cars combined. So calling it a ‘limited edition’ car would be a bit of an understatement…
BMW hasn’t confirmed how much this new car will cost. But it’s rumoured that it’ll be somewhere in the region of £700,000. That’s a hefty price to pay, especially considering the M4 CSL costs £126,000, however you’re unlikely to. park next to another one at the supermarket…
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