For some time there has been talk that a BMW M4 CSL could be on the cards. The rumour mill was fed by the appearance of several test mules spied testing at the Nurburgring. The Nordschleife is BMW’s dynamic test facility of choice. This week BMW dropped a teaser image of the M4 CSL (seen above) which is scheduled to debut on May 20.

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Special editions

BMW’s M Division turns 50 in 2022. The company’s in-house speed merchants have been creating more powerful, focussed versions of BMW road cars all carrying the self-proclaimed “most powerful letter in the world”. During that time there have been just two production models to wear the CSL badge (which stands for coupe, sports, lightweight): the 3,0 CSL and the E46 M3 CSL.

In recent times there have been CS versions of existing products, such as the M2 CS that we drove at Kyalami (our report can be found by clicking here) and the more recent BMW M5 CS super saloon. But the last CSL, the E46 M3, made its production debut in 2003. 

A birthday surprise

Reports coming out of Europe suggest that BMW M will release a number of special versions in 2022 to commemorate its 50th year of existence. The video (below) shows that one of these will be the BMW M4 CSL. The newest CSL will most likely be produced in a limited run, possibly a 1 000 units as reported by some BMW-specific websites.

Check out our video review of the BMW M4 Competition at this link.

Hiding the truth

The cars in the video have design cues to show they are more hard-core than the existing BMW M4. Among the changes we can see are a more pronounced front splitter, lower ride height and a duck tail spoiler, similar to that of the E46 CSL.

Some BMW sites report that the new CSL will ditch its rear seats and feature a plenty of carbon-fibre to help reduce its mass. The lightweight material will likely be used for the roof and the bonnet. The engine cover will probably be sculpted like that of the M2 CS. Some reports suggest a 150 kg reduction in overall weight.

Read about a local owner’s experiences of owning and driving an E30 M3 by clicking here.

Power increase

Power will come from the same twin-turbocharged inline six as other M3/4 variants. The existing M4 Competition produces 375 kW of power. Expect a CSL version to make approximately 410 kW (an even 550 hp). By the sounds of it the car boasts a freer breathing exhaust system as well.

We’re guessing that the BMW M4 CSL will be RWD considering how tail happy the car in the video is. In addition it will use the company’s eight-speed automatic transmission. Expect a set of sticky semi-slick rubber on forged alloys that shroud composite brakes.