The CSL moniker is returning on this hottest of M4 derivatives, and its reveal is just around the corner.
has released a second teaser for its forthcoming M4 CSL, a lighter, faster and more aggressive variant of the impressive coupe. We’ve seen various prototypes of the M4 CSL undergoing development, but with only a few weeks to go until it’s expected to be revealed, BMW has now released a video of it undergoing tests at the Nürburgring.
We’ll have to wait a little longer for the fine details, but the teaser film did reveal that the model will come as standard with Michelin’s most focused road tyre, the Pilot Sport Cup 2 R. Carbon ceramic brakes and its bespoke duck tail boot lid are also clear to see, and BMW M test driver Jorg Leidinger confirmed that it will be ‘significantly lighter’ than the standard car, but that despite increased focus, on-road performance remains a high priority.
Lighting at both ends is new, with yellow daytime running lights fitted to the headlights as found on the M5 CS. This darkened image also reveals that this specific example is finished in a matt black paint finish, with a splitter extension peeping out from the darkness below. We also suspect that there’ll be a new carbon bonnet on show, so too new mesh inserts modelled on those found on the M4 GT4 racer.
At the rear is a new boot lid with an M3 CSL-like moulded ducktail that’s completely different to the standard M4 setup. Again, using BMW’s lesser CS models as reference, they’ve generally featured a stick-on carbon lip over the top of a standard bootlid rather than an entirely new unit as seen on here, suggesting another bespoke carbonfibre component. BMW also looks to have incorporated new rear lights, replacing the standard car’s thick lighting structure with finer individual strands of light flowing within the standard casing.
The CSL should also introduce a new wheel design, hiding gold brake calipers usually associated with BMW’s carbon ceramic brake package. As previously seen on pre-production prototypes, the CSL should also run very serious Michelin Cup 2 R rubber, again signalling this is running hardware that’s a level up on comparative CS models.
BMW M4 CSL34
Any upgrades to the engine are typically impossible to spot from images like this, but the M4’s closed-deck S58 3-litre turbocharged straight-six is ripe for further modification despite its already strong 503bhp peak output. We do now have further insight into this car’s technical makeup, however, with news the CSL will retain a rear-wheel drive layout, rather than adopting an xDrive system. The latter will almost certainly be incorporated into the forthcoming M3 CS. There is another sneaky powertrain detail we can spot on the prototype images, and that’s the typical blue-hue of a titanium alloy being used on the visible exhaust box.
Those in the market for an even more dynamic iteration of the M4 won’t have to wait long to get their hands on it as BMW M plans on revealing the new CSL within a few weeks. But this isn’t the only hardcore M model due in its 50th year, with the M3 CS and M3 Touring and M2 all on their way, with rumours of an even more stripped out M4 model fitted with a manual transmission also on the cards later this year.
Automotive Daily
Keyword: BMW M4 CSL teased ahead of reveal