Although any BMW is unique in that it wears the CSL logo, and only three production models use the name, automotive engineers have developed disposable CSL prototypes over the years. Top Gear is featured in this video – two of them.
To help celebrate the release of the new M4 CSL, as well as the 50th anniversary of the BMW M Division, Top Gear was given an exclusive opportunity to look inside a secret building that housed several models it had never seen before. .
See also: BMW demonstrates secret CSL prototypes, including V8-powered E46 M3 for the first time
The first proposed model is the E46-generation M3 CSL, but twisted. The M3 CSL on the road has a 3.0-liter naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine, while the prototype produces 424 hp. The 4.3-liter V8 vibrates from the E39 M5, which is adapted for release. BMW never intended to launch this model, and it was just a skunkworks project aimed at seeing if the V8 could be placed under the hood of the M3.
Then we come to the special M2. Since the launch of the M2 Competition, rumors have been circulating online that BMW is running on a higher-capacity and lighter-performance model. These rumors were true, as BMW soon introduced the M2 CS, which works with the M3, but the automaker came close to creating an M2 CSL instead.
This light blue prototype shares many of its components with the M2 CS, which eventually went into production. He was nominated to the BMW board of directors along with the CS, but the board of directors eventually approved the CS. Thus, only one example of CSL was built. The main differences between it and the CS include a fixed rear wing with 3D printed vertical supports, a custom split front and a roller grille instead of rear seats.
