Lightweight construction combined with an intoxicating straight-six engine orchestra, the E46 M3 CSL has rightly earned its place as one of the high-points within BMW's illustrious legacy.
BY SAM MAIN
PUBLISHED FEB 08, 2024
MAINLYMOTORING
"Never meet your heroes" - one of the most overly used and cliché phrases that us motoring journalists adopt every now and then. For me, I've never been an avid believer in this idiom. More often than not you will be able to find something interesting about a car; a bespoke alloy design here, a raspy exhaust note there. All in all, cars - especially of a certain generation - always provide you with some excitement when driving them.
I've grown up with an admiration - a deep passion - for 90s and 2000s cars, especially in the sport and super category. A vivid memory will always be watching the early days of the rebooted Top Gear, seeing Jeremy Clarkson drive a silver grey metallic BMW E46 M3 CSL on the Isle of Man, tearing up the no-speed-limit open roads, unleashing the intoxicating straight six engine. Fellow petrolheads and car nerds may understand when I say that certain Top Gear reviews stuck with you the most - this, for me, was certainly one of them.
Fast forward 20 or so years, and during a break from life in education I found myself working alongside great friends at The Polishing Company East Anglia Ltd, detailing and working on all-things classic BMW. The routine of work set itself in, and I became accustomed to the type of vehicle that entered the workshop. That was until a bright Spring day changed everything, and I experienced what some might call a 'forever moment'. There, sitting in the back of the workshop being prepped, was a black sapphire metallic BMW E46 M3 CSL.
Quite frankly, I was shocked. A car this rare was something I was never expecting to see in person, but I found myself completely enveloped in - what I believed to be - one of the greatest cars ever made. This CSL was in the workshop for a thorough detail and ceramic coating, followed by an appraisal and inspection by a potential buyer. Nevertheless, this did not stop me from taking the car in and appreciating the wondrous machine that was in front of me.
The CSL variant of the E46 M3 was not a car to be taken lightly. Powered by BMW's incredible 3.2 liter naturally aspirated straight-six, the CSL produces an impressive 355 bhp, revving to an incredible 8000 rpm as it climbs to an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph. It's a quick machine, even by modern standards, and with a curb weight of 1.2 kg combined with a structural build of aluminum and carbon fiber, the CSL could corner and handle more precisely than Germany's very-own rail timetable.
All of these facts and figures race around your head when you see the CSL with your own eyes, that is until you stand back and ogle at its sleek and understated aesthetic. You know it's a road-going racer, but unlike contemporary car design the CSL doesn't shout its status from the rooftops. It may have wider wheel arches and custom CSL 19-inch alloys, but it's from a bygone era where styling leant more towards 'under the radar' compared to whatever BMW's design language is today - ghastly is what comes to mind. I digress.
Even 20-or-so years after it was launched, the CSL still looks absolutely stunning by today's standards. The interior is a minimalist yet functional place to be, with a lack of sound deadening so you can absorb more of the gorgeous straight-six orchestra under the bonnet. Speaking of, perhaps the most impressive thing about the CSL - at least when it is static - is the engine itself. Specifically it's air intake system; a carbon air intake and airbox plenum give the CSL a raspier, louder, more pronounced symphony. It barks and snarls and echoes throughout the cabin, and it ranks as one of the greatest sounding engines ever produced.
Though where the CSL really shines is on the road. I was given the incredible opportunity to ride shotgun on a test route, with the owner of this sub-20,000 mile car showing me what the CSL was made of. It's safe to say I was truly in heaven. Even as a passenger you get a real sense of occasion and specialty within the CSL; you hear every note from that intoxicating straight six, you feel every gear change from its (now rather dated) SMG transmission, and you experience a snap in g-forces thanks to the sheer power and torque of this 3.2 liter block. To this day, not much has come close to riding shotgun in the CSL.
This being a road-going stripped-down racer, there were - of course - some faults that would probably hamper the driving experience, especially compared to its modern equivalent. The transmission is certainly dated, with each gear change feeling especially drawn-out and 'clunky'. The lack of a manual gearbox from factory is also a bitter disappointment given the significance of the 'M' badge - the ultimate driving machine, of course. If you're in the market for a second-hand one, be sure to check the seat adjustment too, as every CSL's driver seat was custom-built and shaped to the build of the buyer - great for those first-time owners, but somewhat of an impediment to those who may wish to own one down the line.
Quite honestly, these so-called 'faults' are merely trivial in what is, by far, one of the greatest machines produced from the early 2000s. In all likelihood, this is one of the highest points of engineering achievement's reached by one of Germany's most versatile manufacturers. The E46 M3 CSL was a stunning machine when it released, and it remains so to this day - a raw, brutal, goosebump-inducing, road-going-racing symphony on wheels that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the legendary 'M' icon.
They say never meet your heroes. Well, after spending a fair amount of time surrounded by one of the greatest BMW's ever made, I can safely attest to the contrary: always meet your heroes, take every opportunity that presents itself. It's this very ethos that led me to experience, even for a brief moment, the sheer unfiltered driving sensation that the legendary E46 M3 CSL brings. It's a car that, similar to its big brother, the E39 M5, remains a crown-jewel from the company's golden era; so much so, I fear that not even BMW themselves know how to replicate such an automobile. As ever, only time will tell.
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