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The New BMW M3 CSL: Intelligent Lightweight Technology and Supreme Driving Dynamics.

A new sports car now embodies the very core of the BMW brand in its most original style – the M3 CSL. Taking up the heritage and legendary success of BMW’s famous lightweight coupés which gained fame in touring car racing back in the ’70s, the engineers of BMW M have once again created a purist, thoroughbred sports car consistently designed and built to the highest standard of excellence.
In recognition of the fact that the weight spiral constantly going up can only be brought to a halt by radically reducing all moving masses, BMW M’s engineers, in developing this new car, have turned a thrilling lightweight concept into reality. For the new BMW M3 CSL is not only more powerful than the already very dynamic M3, but is also a lot lighter and therefore even more nimble.
In developing the M3 CSL, however, BMW M did not focus on the radical reduction of weight alone. On the contrary – the task the designers and development engineers gave themselves was to create a car full of purist driving dynamics, a car absolutely pure in every respect, down to the very last component. And the result, finally, is unique, absolutely unmarred driving dynamics and a purist character.


The BMW M3 CSL thus combines supreme agility with the ultimate driving experience. With its outstanding power-to-weight ratio of only 3.85 kg/bhp, this new car moves into an entirely new dimension. So the engineers at BMW M are quite sure that this sports car is able to break the 8-minute sound barrier on the legendary Northern Circuit of Nurburgring, the ultimate benchmark in driving dynamics.

Intelligent lightweight technology enhancing driving dynamics to a new dimension.
The formula BMW M’s specialists have followed in creating this dynamic driving machine is “intelligent” lightweight technology: This means consist¬ent reduction of weight by using the most appropriate materials at the right point. Carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic, one of the most important materials in Formula 1, for example, not only reduces the overall weight of the car (weigh¬ing approximately 110 kg (243 lb) less than the standard M3, the M3 CSL has an overall weight of just 1,385 kg (3,054 lb), but also allows even higher speeds in bends particularly through the use of this lightweight material at the extreme ends of the car.
Right from the front the M3 CSL, through its newly designed, muscular front air dam made of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFP) with an additional engine air intake on the driver’s side demonstrates clearly that it is built for supreme performance of the highest calibre. Flaps also clearly visible from outside serve additionally to reduce front axle lift by a significant margin.
At the other end of the car the newly designed rear lid made of sheet moulding compound (SMC), together with the integrated spoiler, also serves in conjunction with the CFP rear diffuser to significantly reduce lift forces.