Birthday special
The new BMW 3.0 CSL is a perfect homage to the 1970s original
IT HAS A LOT TO LIVE UP TO RATHER THAN JUST BEING AN HOMAGE
2022 WAS A SPECIAL YEAR FOR BMW M, as it marked the 50th anniversary for the fabled motorsport division of a carmaker whose very lodestar is ‘sheer driving pleasure’. The year-long birthday celebrations resulted in the launch of ten striking 50 Jahre M Edition limited run models, and as the year draws to a close, the most exciting of them all has been revealed ― the 3.0 CSL, reborn in an all-new avatar. The original 3.0 CSL from the 1970s was a soupedup version of the 2800 CS, and it was the first car built by BMW M. It earned the infamous nickname of the ‘Batmobile’, owing to its aero kit with a rear spoiler that set it on a winning streak on European circuits as well as the IMSA championship in America.
Such a storied legacy means that the new 3.0 CSL has a lot to live up to rather than just being an homage to the original, and it surely delivers, with its eye-catching aero package and the double kidney grille that is reminiscent of the original. The party piece has to be under the bonnet, with the 3-litre straight-six engine borrowed from the M4 now making 552bhp and 550Nm, making this the most powerful straight-six to go into a road-legal BMW M car. Purists will be delighted to know that this engine can only be had with a 6-speed manual gearbox that sends power to the rear wheels, all the ingredients of a recipe that should make for ludicrous amounts of tyre smoke when going sideways!
All things must come to an end, and the new 3.0 CSL will just be a limited run model, with production for the sports car being limited to just 50 consecutively numbered units. And while looks are a personal subject, the modern-day 3.0 CSL is definitely one of the nicest looking Bimmers that I have ever seen, draped in the BMW Motorsport livery and sporting those gorgeous forged alloy wheels. But the fact remains that like the original, there’s no denying that the homage would be a hoot to drive too ― making you wonder why birthdays don’t come more often! ⌧