CSL tag revived for 542bhp M4

Performance coupé loses 100kg while gaining 40bhp and bespoke chassis set-up

- JACK WARRICK

BMW has revived the hallowed CSL tag for the first time in nearly two decades for a highly strung, stripped-back variant of the M4 coupé - arriving exactly 50 years since the legendary E9-generation 3.0 CSL was launched.

Priced from £128,820, the M4 CSL will be limited to 1000 units - just 100 of which will come to the UK - and is more powerful than any M3 or M4 variant yet produced, gaining a boost of 40bhp over the current, range-topping M4 Competition.

It's the fastest BMW road car yet to have lapped the Nürburgring, recording a time of 7min 15.677sec.

The M4 CSL is powered by the familiar 'B58' twin-turbo straight six, which has been tuned to produce 542bhp at 6250rpm and 479lb ft of torque at 2750rpm, shaving the 0-62mph sprint time by 0.2sec to 3.7sec and the 0-124mph time to 10.7sec.

LIGHT READING: THE HISTORY OF CSL

The CSL moniker has appeared on several BMWs in years gone by, but the last model to gain a CSL variant was the E46generation M3 in 2003.

Also powered by a straight six, the M3 CSL (below, right) produced 355bhp and 272lb ft at 4900rpm, with power managed by an often lambasted SMG robotised manual gearbox.