Technological innovations do not come at once. Engineering teams have to try things out first and that means sometimes creating prototypes that don’t actually reach production but are still deeply great.
BMW has decided to show off some of the one-off prototypes used to open its secret garage and facilitate the process of building new cars worthy of the CSL name.
In the first episode of the series, Hans Rahon, Head of Vehicle Prototyping, Manufacturing Concept and Integration, illustrated by BMW M’s own video crew, gives us an overview of three very special and very unique CSL concepts.
Read more: See the new M4 CSL has become the fastest BMW in N āĻ¨rburg
The first is an E46 M3 CSL prototype that is almost identical to the production car behind the door. Excessive ventilation in the front can alert BMW enthusiasts that there is something special hidden under the hood. In fact, the car benefits from a 4.0-liter V8 that produces 424 hp (316 kW / 430 PS) and sounds good enough to turn even the most straight-laced German engineer into a hooligan who turns around unnecessarily with pleasure.
The second concept is an E60 M5 CSL prototype. It has BMW’s unmistakable V10 engine, although it was tuned to displace 5.7 liters (instead of 5.0 liters) and was able to revise up to 9,000 rpm, making it sound more like a racer than a normal car. All of this helped make it more than the 621 hp (463 kW / 630 PS), 121 hp (90 kW / 122 PS) standard car, which was funneled to the rear wheels via a dual-clutch transmission. Lightweight storage systems such as carbon fiber roofing have helped make it a true CSL.
The final prototype is an E63 M6 CSL also powered by a V10, although a 5.0-liter one produces 500 hp (373 kW / 507 PS). Although the real party trick was its clever aerodynamics. The first BMW to feature the Doppelsteg side mirror, it has an active wing on the back to keep the car moving at high speeds.
With several more prototypes, including the F87 M2 CSL prototype, this is truly a miss for fans of the Bavarian brand and high-performance cars in general.