2023 BMW M4 CSL revives lightweight CSL designation

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BMW M GmbH is marking 50 years of operation this year with, among other things, the revival of its CSL program. Originally standing for “coupe sport lightweight,” the CSL moniker hasn’t been appended to any models for 18 years. 

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The 2023 M4 CSL was introduced as a lighter and quicker-around-the-track model than the M4 Competition. Both cars have BMW’s 3.0L inline turbo-6 under the hood, but the CSL’s has been tuned to put out 543 horsepower, 40 more than the standard Competition, and 479 lb-ft of torque, which is enough combined to push the M4 CSL to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and up to a top speed of 307 km/h. 

The M4 CSL is only 0.2 seconds faster off the line than the rear-wheel-drive M4 Competition, but it’s actually 0.2 seconds slower than the AWD xDrive model. But it beats both around the track, thanks to its lighter weight and other performance enhancements. In fact, the car has set a new Nordschleife lap record for any production BMW at 7:20.2. 

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Engineers were able to shed 108 kg (238 lbs) from the M4 CSL in total by removing sound insulation, swapping in two M carbon bucket seats while ditching rear seats all together, and adding carbon-ceramic brakes, lightweight wheels, and various weight-saving chassis components. With a total curb weight of 1,651 kg (3,640 lbs), the M4 CSL boasts a power-to-weight ratio of 3 kg/horsepower.

BMW has put some of the lighter carbon bits on display — the hood, for example, features two carbon panels that mirror the buck-toothed kidney grilles on the car’s front. The car sits on 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels with track-focussed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires as standard, and the more road-appropriate M4 Comp’s Pilot Sport 4S tires as a no-cost option. Special M badges commemorating the milestone anniversary are also present on the rear, front side panels, and grille. 

BMW will produce just 1,000 of the 2023 M4 CSL models and has earmarked 41 of them for the Canadian market. Pricing opens at $166,500 and production is set to begin this July.