What is it?
BMW M3 CSL Lightweight Concept
What's special about it?
BMW's M3 CSL Lightweight Concept laps the northern circuit of Germany's famed Nurburgring in less than 8 minutes. How's that grab you for special? Think about it this way: A stock M3 requires 30 additional seconds to perform the same feat.
That's what happens when a great sports car goes on a diet. The CSL Lightweight weighs a whopping 440 fewer pounds than a stock M3, without foregoing the amenities that make daily driving that much easier. Not only has the car lost weight, but it also makes more power — more than 350 horses thanks to a streamlined cylinder charge process and reduced friction. The result is a 7.7-pound per horsepower power to weight ratio instead of the stock M3's 9.6-lb. per hp figure. This engine drives the rear wheels through BMW's Sequential M Gearbox with Drivelogic (SMG). Two paddles mounted to the steering wheel are used to shift gears.
To shed poundage, BMW jettisoned the side airbags, the rear seat and the trunk toolkit. Beyond that, plenty of carbon fiber and carbon fiber-reinforced plastics were used to lighten the M3. The front air dam and the doors, as well as the rear decklid, are carbon fiber. Flaps on the air dam, side mirror housings and roof are also carbon fiber. Weight came out of the bulkhead between the passenger compartment and the trunk, the floorpan and the floor of the cargo compartment. The seat frames, center console and gauge trim are composed of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. Extra-thin rear glass is employed, and magnesium supports the instrument panel.
And with 19-inch wheels with 18-inch brake discs, you can imagine that this Lightweight is no lightweight when it comes to going and stopping.
Why should you care?
Just when you thought the M3 couldn't possibly get any more fantabulous, along comes BMW with this drool-inducing concept. Remember, back in 1995 a limited-production M3 Lightweight was sold in dramatically low numbers. Could it be that the boys from Bavaria are planning an encore? — Christian Wardlaw
BMW M3 CSL Lightweight Concept
What's special about it?
BMW's M3 CSL Lightweight Concept laps the northern circuit of Germany's famed Nurburgring in less than 8 minutes. How's that grab you for special? Think about it this way: A stock M3 requires 30 additional seconds to perform the same feat.
That's what happens when a great sports car goes on a diet. The CSL Lightweight weighs a whopping 440 fewer pounds than a stock M3, without foregoing the amenities that make daily driving that much easier. Not only has the car lost weight, but it also makes more power — more than 350 horses thanks to a streamlined cylinder charge process and reduced friction. The result is a 7.7-pound per horsepower power to weight ratio instead of the stock M3's 9.6-lb. per hp figure. This engine drives the rear wheels through BMW's Sequential M Gearbox with Drivelogic (SMG). Two paddles mounted to the steering wheel are used to shift gears.
To shed poundage, BMW jettisoned the side airbags, the rear seat and the trunk toolkit. Beyond that, plenty of carbon fiber and carbon fiber-reinforced plastics were used to lighten the M3. The front air dam and the doors, as well as the rear decklid, are carbon fiber. Flaps on the air dam, side mirror housings and roof are also carbon fiber. Weight came out of the bulkhead between the passenger compartment and the trunk, the floorpan and the floor of the cargo compartment. The seat frames, center console and gauge trim are composed of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. Extra-thin rear glass is employed, and magnesium supports the instrument panel.
And with 19-inch wheels with 18-inch brake discs, you can imagine that this Lightweight is no lightweight when it comes to going and stopping.
Why should you care?
Just when you thought the M3 couldn't possibly get any more fantabulous, along comes BMW with this drool-inducing concept. Remember, back in 1995 a limited-production M3 Lightweight was sold in dramatically low numbers. Could it be that the boys from Bavaria are planning an encore? — Christian Wardlaw
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