It's been 20 years since we've had a CSL, and it's just as exciting now as it was then

Blue moons may be rare, but they still happen. It’s been a while since the world last saw the letters “CSL” on a production BMW, and now, in 2022, the legendary insignia has been reborn. This past May, we were presented the new BMW M4 CSL – a lightweight, limited-edition variant of the G82 M4 Competition. With its production run of only 1000 examples having already begun in July, it won’t be long until we see these German monsters out on the streets. Recognizing how few examples will be made, not a lot of people are going to be given the chance to observe the beauty of this car in-person. That said, here’s a good description of why you should get excited should you encounter an M4 CSL.

There’s a record held by this car that BMW has been marketing a lot lately: The new M4 CSL has clocked a lap time of 7:15.667 around the Nürburgring – the quickest time ever set by a production BMW. Yes, even faster than the track-focused M4 GTS (7:27.88), which happened to be the former champion of the 'ring. To put the CSL’s time into perspective, the best lap time performed by a 992 Porsche 911 Turbo S was a 7:17 flat, giving the BMW a little over a full-second lead on it.

Let’s talk some more numbers real quick: The current G82 M4 Competition boasts a 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-six – outputting a hearty 503 horsepower. To improve on that, the M4 CSL adds a reasonable 40 horses to the count, bringing its figure to 543 horsepower. Alongside the power boost, the new CSL has also gone on a huge diet, as it shed off an astounding 240 pounds! Overall, that brings the total curb weight of the car down to 3,640 pounds, which combined with the power makes for an impressive 15-percent increase in the power-to-weight ratio from the M4 Competition.

BMW claims that from a complete stop, the M4 CSL can smash the 60 MPH mark in just 3.6 seconds, 0.2 less than the M4 Competition. However, it has been well-tested by this point that the M4 Competition moves from 0-60 mph in substantially less time than what was originally claimed by BMW on its release, indicating that the CSL should follow suit. For the real lunatics out there, the top speed of the CSL is also 11 mph more than the M4 Comp, cruising at 191 mph.

M4 Competition vs. M4 CSL

With all the specs covered, it’s time to ask the question of how exactly BMW pulled off both the power improvements and the extreme weight loss. The answer to the first part is simple: The ECU was re-tuned for more power. As to the 240-pound cut in weight, BMW provided a well-detailed explanation of everything that went into the weight reduction process, including but not limited to:

• M Carbon bucket seats – 53 pounds

• Chassis alterations, equipping M Carbon ceramic brakes, forged light-alloy wheels, and springs and struts – 46 pounds

• Use of CFRP (Carbon-fiber Reinforced Plastic) components – 24 pounds

• Titanium rear silencer – nine pounds

• Tweaks to the BMW kidney grille, rear lights, floor mats, and automatic climate control – eight pounds

The largest of the weight-saving measures is a complete seating overhaul – which includes both the removal of the rear seats and the addition of full carbon-fiber front bucket seats. Another big weight-minimizer implemented was the replacement of sound-dampening components, such as noise insulation and the exhaust silencer, with lighter versions. Besides, if you’re going to buy a special edition M car, why would you want it to be quiet?

50 years ago, we saw the CSL badge first come to life on the BMW E9-based 3.0 CSL – a lightweight homologation of the 3.0 CS designed to compete in the European Touring Car Championship. A little over 30 years later, the badge came back to life again on the revolutionary E46 M3 CSL, pioneering both, the famous carbon-fiber roof and the concept of a lightweight M car. Fast-forward almost 20 years to 2022, and the iconic badge makes its third lap around the company’s lineup with the M4 CSL – debuting at an MSRP of $139,900.

Enough of the history lesson, what makes these three letters so renowned and expensive? More importantly, what on earth do they stand for?

“Competition, Sport, Lightweight”: The famous marque that represents only the pinnacle of production BMW race-craft. The word “Lightweight” is what should be most highlighted though, as it’s exactly what BMW places full emphasis on whenever developing a car with this badge. It’s no surprise at this point that the M4 CSL clearly enjoys its lightweight physique, however, there are a few other qualities of this car that pay homage to the ancestors that came before it.

Up close, the first thing most people will notice about this car (other than the Grand Canyon grill) is the classic BMW logo being featured on all M models this year. Meant to celebrate 50 years of the M motorsports division, the badge is the normal BMW symbol surrounded by three rings flashing the red, white, and blue M colors. While this isn’t specific to just the M4 CSL, it’s delightfully reminiscent of the M colors found on the original 3.0 CSL racing livery (those colors, too, were pioneered by that CSL). Also, nice coincidences are the M4’s 3.0-liter inline-six engine – drawing back again to the 3.0 CSL’s motor, and the standard carbon fiber roof from the M3 CSL. Speaking of that M3, the M4 does feature one other piece of bodywork-elegance from its E46 great-grandfather: The ducktail spoiler.

One of the M4 CSL’s most noticeable changes from the standard M4 are the far more sleek, aggressive, and rather stylish accents both in color and design. Out of the gate, you’ll notice that the car is lined everywhere with open carbon fiber and red trim. Not only is this meant to look cool, but it also distinguishes the CSL’s major “lightweight” characteristics over the M4 Competition. BMW wanted to make sure the weaving of the carbon fiber was as visible as possible, featuring it all over the hood, roof, and front/rear splitters. As previously mentioned, they have also brought back the iconic CSL ducktail spoiler from the E46 to accentuate the M4’s aggressive curves.

Should you purchase an M4 CSL, you may only choose one of three colors: Frozen Brooklyn Grey Metallic (its trademark color), Sapphire Black, and Alpine White. The car can also be optioned without the red accents, making it look even more subtle to an M4 Competition. However, it’s been generally agreed upon that the red helps to add more flare to the giant controversial grill, and any effort to fix that is worth the money.

Unlike the more recently branded “GTS” badge on the past two generations of top-trim M3/M4 Coupes, the CSL badge represents not a track-focused car that’s road legal, but rather a road legal car that’s track-focused. Did you get that? Here’s another way of putting it:

There’s no denying that all the BMW M cars are designed to be the zenith of road performance, but the M4 CSL is meant to take that definition to a new level without jumping the fence into “Track Toy” territory. Ultimate driving experience first, track prowess second, but still damn good at both. That said, it really was designed to be the perfect M car, and though it has yet to be tested to the limit, there is no doubt that in its coming sales the M4 CSL will make its way to the top of the all-time greatest BMW list.

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