CS before CSL? BMW reportedly working on semi-hardcore M3
Like the previous M3 CS, an emphasis will be placed on being as light as possible.
Treadplate of the previous generation BMW M3 CS.
BMW’s reported working on CSL versions of the controversial new M3 and M4 could potentially be teased in the form of a CS version, only of the former, rumoured for introduction later this year.
With it being reported in February that the M4 CSL, and therefore also the M3 CSL, would potentially bow in July, the BMW Blog has now claimed that a CS version of the new G80 M3 could be in development as the thrid CS model after the M2 CS and the new M5 CS.
Being the preview of the CSL, the online forum claims that emphasis, like with the M2 and M5, will be placed on saving weight with the CS poised to make use of carbon fibre and other weight saving materials to bring the kerb weight down.
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At the same time, the S58 3.0-litre straight-six turbocharged engine will be tweaked to deliver more than the 375 kW made by the M3 Competition, with the 650 Nm of torque unlikely to be altered.
The focus on weight saving could also lead to the CS forgoing the all-wheel-drive system for a rear-wheel-drive configuration like the M2 CS, however, nothing regarding the drivetrain, including the availability of a manual gearbox, is known at present.
For now, little is known about the M3 CS and more than likely also the M4 CS, but details are expected to become available later this year of it as well as the mentioned CSL models.
