To mark the end of its anniversary year, BMW M GmbH presents the most exclusive special model ever developed by the company – a masterpiece of engineering that embodies the essence of 50 years of racing passion and expresses its historical roots in a legendary model designation.

The BMW 3.0 CSL combines unique design with a purist performance experience in two seats and transfers the concept of using racetrack technology for pure driving pleasure on the road, which originated in the 1970s, into the present in an extremely concentrated manner.

The BMW 3.0 CSL was developed with the intention of combining the best of five decades of racing expertise from BMW M GmbH in an automobile with an exceptionally emotional appeal. All facets of its character – dynamic exterior elegance, a classic sports car cockpit, intelligent lightweight construction, an in-line six-cylinder engine, manual transmission and rear-wheel drive – are based on traditional principles of a BMW M automobile and complement each other with the help of current technology to create the ultimate symbol of fascination for top performance in the style of the brand that has been successful for 50 years.

Superlative of limited.

The BMW 3.0 CSL is produced in a strictly limited edition. To mark the anniversary, exactly 50 consecutively numbered examples of the special model will go on sale. This gives the BMW 3.0 CSL the status of a rarity right from the start, which will find its place in the vehicle collections of particularly loyal and enthusiastic fans of the BMW M brand.

The production of all vehicles will take around three months. Each and every one of them is created with absolute dedication to craftsmanship excellence and precisely coordinated technologies in an elaborate manufacturing process at the external site of the BMW Group plant in Dingolfing in Moosthenning, Lower Bavaria. The exclusive exterior components made of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) are handcrafted in Munich and at the BMW Group’s component plant in Landshut by specially assigned body construction specialists. A specific process was also designed for the paintwork of the BMW 3.0 CSL, in which craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology complement each other to give each individual part its characteristic colouring. In addition, a team of 30 specially qualified and experienced technicians is responsible for the configuration and assembly of the vehicles alone. Due to the complexity of the processes in the manufactory, each BMW 3.0 CSL passes through eight assembly cycles at just as many production stations, which together take up to ten days.

The road version of the racing car, developed for homologation purposes, became a widely known symbol of inspiring driving pleasure focused on the essentials, especially in its final stage of development. CSL – this combination of letters in the model designation stood for “Coupé, Sport, Leichtbau” (Coupé, Sport, Lightweight), a formula that succinctly summed up the two-door car’s recipe for success. The new BMW 3.0 CSL reinterprets all these features anchored in its model designation in a contemporary way. Its coupé body sets traditional accents for sporty elegance and expressive dynamics. Its drive and chassis technology comes from the latest development stage for racing cars and high-performance sports cars from BMW M GmbH. And the intelligent lightweight construction reaches an outstanding level, above all through the exceptionally extensive use of carbon. The power-to-weight ratio of the BMW 3.0 CSL is just 2.9 kilograms per hp.

The most powerful in-line six-cylinder ever.

The BMW 3.0 CSL is powered by the most powerful straight six-cylinder engine ever used in a road-legal BMW M automobile. This, too, is a tradition: in its final stage of development, the predecessor of the same name marked a new record with an engine output of 151 kW/206 hp – not only for six-cylinder models, but for all BMW production vehicles produced up to that point.

The version of the M3/M4 drive developed exclusively for the BMW 3.0 CSL mobilises a maximum output of 412 kW/560 hp. The new record for in-line six-cylinder models from BMW M GmbH with road approval underlines the special status of the vehicle. Its engine develops a maximum torque of 550 Nm at a top speed of 7,200 min. To transmit the drive power to the road, the developers of the BMW 3.0 CSL relied on a concept that has been tried and tested for decades for maximum driving pleasure and intensive interaction between driver and vehicle. The straight six-cylinder engine is coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission – to the delight of all enthusiasts.

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BMW 3.0 CSL

Engine: 3.0L in-line six-cylinder Power: 412kW (560 PS) Weight: 1600 kilograms Acceleration: k. A. Vmax: n. A.