As if a CSL wasn't car enough...

[Jon325i]

I like big butts and i cannot lie

So does this guy.....


Jon ;)

[Wes325]

i dont like CSL's. well okay let me rephrase, i think the csl is a waste. all that money and only so much more hp. like someone said before, id rather buy an m3 and tune it myself, id get soooo much more out of it.

So true. I would do the same thing. A few of the CSL owners have written in some letters to European BMW magazines complaining that they feel the only thing seperating the M3 from the M3 CSL is the wheel and tires on the CSL!! When they tracked the 2 different cars to compare the M3 was very close behind and when they wanted to put the CSL wheels and tires on the stock M3 to compare the owner of the track told them that they were prohibited from doing so. Hmmmm???????????? :(
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herbalAire vaporizers

[bimmerphile]

i dont like CSL's. well okay let me rephrase, i think the csl is a waste. all that money and only so much more hp. like someone said before, id rather buy an m3 and tune it myself, id get soooo much more out of it.

So true. I would do the same thing. A few of the CSL owners have written in some letters to European BMW magazines complaining that they feel the only thing seperating the M3 from the M3 CSL is the wheel and tires on the CSL!! When they tracked the 2 different cars to compare the M3 was very close behind and when they wanted to put the CSL wheels and tires on the stock M3 to compare the owner of the track told them that they were prohibited from doing so. Hmmmm???????????? :(

If these owners seriously can't beat stock E46 M3's with their CSL's, the problem is not with the car...

[LikeCDoos]

I have a 5th gear video on my computer compairing both the M3 and CSL. In the end the CSL beat the normal M3 by 2 seconds. In the video they said that if a grand prix team could purchase 2 seconds for 20,000 pounds it would be considered a bargain.

[Jon325i]

If these owners seriously can't beat stock E46 M3's with their CSL's, the problem is not with the car...

Clearly. Its not the car, its the driver. There's a great video taken from Top Gear where the talented Tiff Needell takes a standard E46 M3 and a CSL for a few hot laps on a 1.3 miles road course somewhere in the UK. They were able to super-impose the image of the M3 as the CSL was making its way around the track. And guess what, the CSL was faster just about everywhere. Crossing the finish line the CSL was nearly 2 seconds faster overall.

Same track + same day + same conditions + same driver + two different M3s = different results. Period.

Jon

Edit: LikeCDoos beat me to the punch ;)

[e30Matt]

I recently read an article in a european magazine stating that through their testing, the two were essentially identical with the exception of the tires. What gives?

Is the CSL really nothing more than a hyped up, "lightweight" E46?

Seems to me it's leaning that way.

[ejmpower]

whats with the missing emblems

It doesnt seem like anybody noticed that this guy removed everything showing it was either a BMW or and M3. No front grills, no front bmw emblem, removed the m3 decal from the fender grills. The only one left on in the picturs is the rondel on the trunklid. And no M3 badge on the trunklid, understandably there is no CSL badge cause even though this car costs a lot more then the stock M3 they make you pay $30 just for the CSL badge. But this guy is "loaded" so he should be able to afford it.