It’s BMW’s 50th this year, and to celebrate, the German automaker will put a special anniversary-edition BMW Roundel badge on the hood of the new 2023 BMW M4 CSL. Oh yeah, they also gutted 240 pounds of weight and found 40 extra horsepower (for a total of 543), delivering a carbon-fiber land missile with an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 6.7 pounds per horsepower. It might not hold a candle to the E46 CSL’s now-iconic looks, but it likely will leave one in the dust.
The new GT3 racing-inspired M4 CSL is not messing around; BMW claims it just set the fastest lap time of any production BMW ever at the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife circuit, getting around with a posted time of 7:20.2, which is more than 7 seconds faster than the 2016 BMW M4 GTS. BMW will loose just 1,000 M4 CSLs globally, with those bound for our shores priced at $140,895 including destination.
CSL Design Highlights
The CSL will be available in a new Frozen Brooklyn Grey metallic (pictured here), or available standard Alpine White or Black Sapphire metallic paint finishes. Leave it to BMW to celebrate an anniversary with oh-so-thrilling paint colors in, uh, grey, white, and black. Luckily, there are plenty of other elements on the car to really make it pop, including the retro BMW M 50 year anniversary badging first used by BMW motorsports teams back in 1973. The model also gets throwback yellow-tinted daytime running lights, and a first-time introduction of new “light thread” technology featured in the taillight units to form the hallmark L-shaped light motif found through BMW’s designs.
CFRP is G.O.A.T.
The “L” in the CSL name stands for lightweight, and BMW has worked hard to stay true to the name. Forged light-alloy wheels, springs, and struts help lift 46 pounds of weight out of the car’s chassis, a titanium exhaust silencer save 9 pounds, and the employment of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) throughout the body saves an additional 24 pounds. The double-bubble roof panel, hood and trunk lid with an integrated rear spoiler modeled after the 2003 E46 CSL are all carbon fiber, now with red exterior trim accents.
The front-end air curtain inserts and front splitter are also CFRP, as are the rear diffuser and mirror cap finishes. The lightweight BMW kidney grille has been left wide open for both intake and weight improvement, divided by just two horizontal grille bars. Inside the cabin, carbon fiber bucket seats and a rear-seat delete save 99 pounds, and replacement ultra-lightweight sound insulation panels and tweaked adornments combine for another 41 pounds of savings. Total curb weight is down to 3,640 pounds.
More Inside
The entire center console of the new CSL is also carbon fiber, but still features leather trimmings on the armrests and a charging tray for your phone. There’s matching carbon fiber trim throughout the cabin, and an alcantara steering wheel with a red indicator at the 12 o’clock position and carbon fiber inlays. Up front there are CSL-exclusive M carbon bucket seats, with no functions for heating or cooling, lumbar support, nor power adjustment, and a fixed backrest angle, removable headrests for helmet-wearers, and black leather surfacing with red alcantara inserts and contrast stitching. If you want, you can option power-adjustable, heated front seats for no extra cost, which are still 21 pounds lighter than standard M4 Competition butt-warmers. There is no option for rear seats, only room for storage of two helmets.
Performance Features
The CSL gets the same engine found in the M4 Competition model, a twin-turbo 3.0-liter I-6, with a few choice modifications that add 40 horsepower. The M4 CSL is now the most powerful 4 Series, totaling 543 hp at 6,250 rpm and offering 479 lb-ft of torque up to 6,000 rpm. The motor gets cylinder bores with an arc-sprayed iron coating, 3D-printed cylinder heads, and a forged lightweight crankshaft for higher revving. Boost pressure has increased to 30.5 psi, from just 24.7 psi on the M4 Competition engine. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends power through the rear-wheels, with carbon fiber shift paddles mounted on the steering for manual gear operation.
New cast-aluminum front-end strut braces were developed specifically for the CSL, to keep weight down while optimizing body rigidity. The lighter-weight exhaust system features electronically controlled flaps for a “visceral” soundtrack. The CSL also gets standard carbon ceramic brakes finished in red, and a bespoke light-alloy wheel design, with a pair of 19-inchers at the front and a 20-inchers at the rear, finished in matte black to match the quad tailpipes. Those wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Rs, developed specifically for the CSL, but traditional high performance tires are available at no extra cost.
BMW also worked on a tweaked suspension system, with the CSL riding 0.3 inches lower than an M4 Competition for lower center of gravity. BMW says the 2023 M4 CSL will launch from 0 to 60 in just 3.6 seconds, and get to 120 mph in just 10.5 seconds. To help, BMW has equipped a similar 10-stage traction control configuration to what’s found on the Competition, with the most amount of slip at setting 1, and the least at setting 5, so owners can tune it to their desire (or ability to control the car); settings 6 through 10 are track-specific profiles aimed at nailing down faster track times, not so much sliding around.
The limited run of 1,000 units will go into production this July, so act quick if you want one.
Keyword: The 2023 BMW M4 CSL Loses 240 Pounds, Gains An Extra 40 HP