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M4 CSL Unveiled: Racing Passion Plus Technology

BMW M4 CSL

BMW M4 CSL teasers are done. The extreme performance model has been hyped on the company’s Instagram feed, and hints about it’s pedigree alluded to repeatedly. Finally, it stands revealed in sleek grey and black with red accents. And only 1,000 will be made.

Thought your BMW M4 Competition was the top? Well the BMW M4 CSL has 40 more horsepower but weighs 240 pounds less. Those engineering achievements have created a performance machine with 543 hp and a curb weight of 3,640 lbs, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 6.7 lbs/hp. It goes from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.67 and has to be electronically limited to 191 mph, lest it embarrass lesser machines.

Think that’s more hype? In test runs on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife circuit, the M4 CSL achieved a lap time of 7:20.2, the fastest time ever for a production-series BMW. In other words, the new “Competition, Sport, Lightweight” BMW M4 embodies the closest thing you can buy to the actual BMW M4 GT3 race car.

A Lightweight

And how did BMW engineers achieve the enviable balance that is CSL? Carbon fiber, of course. More specifically, Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). Conventional components were replaced with lightweight versions. Seats, roof, hood, trunk lid, center console and more were switched out for CFRP versions. Light alloy wheels, springs, and struts, lighter sound insulation, titanium rear silencer, and other changes all combined to reduce the curb weight.

But Not Light on Power

The M4 CSL sports a modified six-cylinder inline engine with an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission powering the rear-wheel drive. BMW calls it the “most powerful road-legal M4 variant ever made.” With a maximum output of 543 hp at 6,250 rpm, the vehicle shows a near instantaneous response to the accelerator and continues to deliver power even in the upper limits of the rev range.

The chassis also received considerable attention, with weight, rigidity, and precision changes helping the car burn through dynamic limits. M-specification axles with a double-joint spring strut in front and a five-link in back were designed specifically for high-performance sports cars like this one. Even finer adjustments were made for ride-height, wheel camber settings, dampers, and more.

M Traction Control has the integrated braking system utilizing Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) to adjust for different surface types with precision. And that precision, along with most things driving-oriented, can be set by the person in the cockpit. The driver can set individual intervention thresholds for wheel slip limitation with ten different stages, or completely turn the DSC system off. The first five settings control how the car responds to wheel slip, but settings six through ten are specifically for track conditions. Six through ten let the driver make allowances for track surface conditions and tire temperature, optimizing traction and decreasing lap times.

So yes. It’s designed for the track.

But can it also be a daily driver? The interior sports a full array of BMW amenities, including iDrive and a COMFORT driving mode that lets the M4 CSL relax a bit. Sure, it doesn’t have an actual backseat. But the M4 CSL does have a handy net to hold helmets. You can probably fit groceries back there if you are really limber.

So behold, the BMW M4 CSL. Probably coming soon to a BMW CCA Club Race near you.

 

 

BMW M4 CSL Specifications
Body
No. of doors/seats 2 / 2
Length / Width / Height (in) 188.7 / 75.6 / 54.6
Wheelbase (in) 112.5
Track, front / rear (in) 63.9 / 63.3
Ground clearance (in) 4.4
Turning circle (ft) 40.0
Fuel tank capacity (gal) 15.6
Engine oil capacity (qts) 7.4
Curb weight (lbs) 3,640
GVWR (lbs) 4,343
Luggage capacity (cu ft) 12
Engine
Config. / no. cylinders / valves Inline / 6 / 24
Engine technology M TwinPower Turbo technology with two mono-scroll turbochargers, indirect charge air cooling, high precision injection, VALVETRONIC fully variable valve control and Double-VANOS variable camshaft timing
Capacity (cc) 2,993
Stroke / bore (mm) 90.0 / 84.0
Compression ratio (:1) 9.3
Max output (hp @ rpm) 543 @ 6,250
Max torque (lb-ft @ rpm) 479 @ 2,750-5,950
Driving Dynamics and Safety
Suspension, front Adaptive M suspension with double-joint spring strut axle in lightweight aluminum construction, M-specific kinematics and elastokinematics
Suspension, rear Adaptive M suspension with five-link axle in lightweight aluminum / steel construction, rear-axle subframe with rigid bolted connection to the body, M-specific

elastokinematics

Brakes, front 15.7-in M Carbon ceramic brakes, vented, with six-piston

fixed calipers

Brakes, rear 15.0-in M Carbon ceramic brakes, vented, with single- piston floating calipers
Driving stability systems DSC including ABS, ASC, and M Dynamic Mode (MDM), can be switched off, integrated wheel slip limitation, CBC (Cornering Brake Control), DBC (Dynamic Brake Control), Dry Braking function, Start-Off Assistant, Active M

Differential

Safety equipment Airbags for driver and passenger, side airbags for driver and passenger, head airbags, three-point inertia reel seatbelts, belt tensioner and belt force limiter, crash sensors, tire pressure indicator
Steering Electric Power Steering (EPS) with M-specific Servotronic
function and variable sport ratio
Steering ratio overall (:1) 15.0
Tires front / rear 275/35ZR 19 100Y XL / 285/30ZR 20 99Y XL
Rims, front / rear (in) 9.5J x 19 forged light alloy / 10.5J x 20 forged light alloy
Transmission
Type 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic
Gear ratios I :1 5.000
II :1 3.200
III :1 2.143
IV :1 1.720
V :1 1.313
VI :1 1.000
VII :1 0.823
VIII :1 0.640
R :1 3.478
Final Drive :1 3.154
Performance
Power to weight (lbs/hp) 6.7
Output per liter (hp) 181
Acceleration 0-60 mph (sec) 3.6
Top Speed (mph) 191

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