BMW M5 CSL Revealed

The BMW M5 CSL

Before you get too excited and start reaching for your cheque book in anticipation of sticking a deposit down on the lightweight, high-performance BMW M5 CSL, you can’t. This is a one-off. Apparently.

The BMW M5 has been with us for a quarter of a century. It single-handedly redefined the performance saloon market and ever since we’ve seen a series of M5s barrelling down our back roads in a display of exceptional saloon car performance. The success of the M5 has also spawned a whole raft of imitators, including the Audi RS6, the Mercedes E63 AMG and the Jaguar XFR. But the M5 is the original and – for the ultimate day of thrashing round the country – the default choice.

But what would the M5 be like if you took it to the extreme? Honed the weight down; tweaked the output; tickled the suspension. Well now we know as BMW has done just that to create a one-off M5 CSL.

The M5 CSL gets upped to 5.5 litres and its output rises to around 580bhp. There’s a carbon fibre manifold and bigger air box. The interior is stripped bare and the roof becomes carbon fibre. A modified M3, seven-speed Getrag double-clutch ‘box stirs the mix. What you’re left with - resplendent in a paint job that looks like Martini Racing – is a true four-door supercar that will break the 4.0 seconds barrier to 60mph.

Surely a hard-core M5 would have been a seller over the years? Obviously BMW thinks not as they’ve never made it and say they never will. Even if they do change their minds and cobble together an M5 CSL with the next generation 5 series we are unlikely to be treated to the V10. It seems almost certain that there will be a V8 in the next M5 – it’s the green loonies at play again.

Que Sera.

By Cars UK