BMW M4 CSL REVEALED – 542bhp of M4 CS ‘Light’ for £128,820

The BMW M4 CSL arrives as a limited run of 1,000 M4s with weight reduction and added power. 100 for the UK from £128,820.

The BMW CSL badge is a proper rarity, used, until now, only on the 1972 3.0 CSL and the 2004 M3 CSL. But now it’s back and attached to a new M4 model – the new BMW M4 CSL.

What, you might ask, has BMW used the CSL badge instead of more recent stuff like GTS? Well, it seems the focus of this M4 is to make it more focused for road use rather than overtly track biased, so the CSL moniker – with ‘L’ meaning light – is the way to go.

Of course, with an M4 CSL badge it has to shout its intent, so it comes with a bespoke body kit with carbon fibre bits too, front and rear splitters, new alloys (19″ front, 20″ rear), laser headlights and ‘flowing’ tail lights.

Weight is cut by 100kg thanks to measures like a new titanium exhaust and carbon-ceramic brakes, revised springs and struts and dumping a chunk of sound insulation, not to mention the lack of back seats and light fixed-back front seats.

Power still comes from the M4’s 3.0-litre straight-six, but here it has 542bhp, with turbo pressure boosted and engine management tweaked, the auto ‘box and traction control get a tweak too and adaptive suspension is standard.

BMW is only building 1,000 M4 CSLs, but 100 are coming to the UK, each costing from £128,820.