After Sport Auto drove the BMW M4 CSL to a 1:50.1 lap around the Hockenheim track, another German magazine put the Competition Sport Lightweight through its paces on a circuit. This time around, Auto Bild’s Guido Naumann sampled the third-ever CSL at the Sachsenring. Painted in Frozen Brooklyn Grey, the car in question was equipped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.
How did it fare? The BMW M4 CSL needed 1 minute and 29.54 seconds to complete a lap of the 2.28-mile (3.67-kilometer) track with its 13 turns. The lap time is inconclusive on its own, so we need to compare it with other performance cars driven by the same pilot. Earlier this year, Guido Naumann drove the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS to a virtually identical lap time of 1:29.12, although it should be mentioned that the mid-engined machine from Zuffenhausen had Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires.
Other sporty cars driven around Sachsenring in recent times by Auto Bild’s Guido Naumann include the Alpine A110 S (1:36.13), Hyundai i30 N (1:38.44), and the Audi RS3 Sportback (1:34.93). Although it will likely have slightly more power and a bit less weight, the 3.0 CSL debuting later this month won’t necessarily be faster around a circuit. That’s because it’ll be sold exclusively with a manual gearbox, and as much as purists prefer it, there’s no denying an automatic will always be faster.
While the 3.0 CSL will be capped at 50 units, the M4 CSL is significantly less exclusive as BMW plans to make 1,000 units for the whole world. It has been engineered in both left- and right-hand-drive configurations, unlike the new 3.0 CSL expected to be an LHD-only affair. In addition, the modern-day tribute to the iconic E9 won’t be sold in the United States.
It remains to be seen how many people will actually head to the circuit with the M4 CSL. We’re expecting very few (if any) will track the 3.0 CSL considering it’ll cost an eye-watering €750,000. The ultra-rare special edition has the makings of becoming an instant collectible that will spend the better part of its life locked up in a climate-controlled garage.
Source: AUTO BILD SPORTSCARS / YouTube
