2010 M3 CSL confirmed: 470HP

[smonkbmw]

so tired of the m3 vs z06 battle. who cares if the z06 is faster in the end its still a domestic. and with the numbers they are producing them at, they will be worthless in a few years anyways.

if you continue to try and rationalize the hp vs dollar, luxury vs items removed (radio,ac etc) then you just dont get it. ask any e30m3 owner what theyve spent vs what they COULD have bought. and then ask them what its like actually DRIVING the car. there is no value that can be placed on that feeling. hell mines not even running yet and im already excited to experience it.

edit: if Mariano has $30k+ into his car, E30Groupie has $44k+ into his standard e30 along with what Criv has in his car. imagine what else they could have got with that $$? then ask why didnt they buy that as opposed to what they have now?

[Jonathan M3]

I can't even begin to describe how much I would NOT even consider that car if I had $140k to blow on a car.

[euroshark]

Buying a brand new car is dumb anyway... $140k or not. Unless you like throwing money away the second you leave the dealership in it!

[CorvallisBMW]

I agree that the $/hp argument is pretty dumb. And I love the idea of a 470hp, lightweight M3. But honestly for that kind of money, I would much rather have a 997 Turbo with $$$ left over for upgrades. The turbo will be faster in a strait line, faster around corners, be more comfortable in any given situation and probably (dare I say it) more fun to drive both OFF AND ON the track. I love BMWs. I love M3s. But $140K is just way too much money for what you're getting with that car.

No thanks, I'll take my 997 Turbo with Ruf upgrades :)

[TwoJ's]

if you continue to try and rationalize the hp vs dollar, luxury vs items removed (radio,ac etc) then you just dont get it. ask any e30m3 owner what theyve spent vs what they COULD have bought. and then ask them what its like actually DRIVING the car. there is no value that can be placed on that feeling. hell mines not even running yet and im already excited to experience it.

edit: if Mariano has $30k+ into his car, E30Groupie has $44k+ into his standard e30 along with what Criv has in his car. imagine what else they could have got with that $$? then ask why didnt they buy that as opposed to what they have now?

$44k+ in to an e30.

Your argument about people having e30's for the driving experience is good. It's true, and that's where the lust for the e30m3 comes from. But the fact is that this "driving experience" from an e30 isn't that good. These cars are old, and the suspensions are archaic and more modern cars are much better for DRIVING. The e30 has the benefit of being smaller and lighter, that's about it. When you say this guy and that guy have dumped so and so much in to their cars, that makes it very clear that many people around here are concerned much less about the driving experience and much more about the numbers that you seem so fixated on.

[Raxe]

I don't need 650hp that the ZR1 provides; heck I don't even need 470hp. Way more then I can efficiently use anyways. I'd buy the M3 CSL for sure if I had the money and was looking for a fun track day car simply because it's a BMW and it's 1/100. I wouldn't even consider a Corvette if it was half the price, not my kind of car.

[uofom3]

Why does it always come down to hp / dollar? Maybe it's just me, but if you simplify it that much you are definitely missing the point.

sage advice right there. If HP/dollar was your thing no one would buy an e30 m3.

I want one.

[Aptyp]

I would actually get an EVO 10 over that CSL, and small house. And that "special" club who'll afford it, is truly special.

And I think CSL is supposed to be the heart and soul. It's supposed to be pure. None of the nonsense. But if it's slower than a vette, than BMW did something wrong.

[Hon2BMW]

And I can put an 600hp LS1 into an E36 for 30K.


The M3 is not in the same size or vehicle category as the Vette so a comparison is pointless.

BMW builds cars MUCH differently than GM. It does not take a genius to figure that one out.

Everyone who uses the excuse: " the E36 M3 may beat the E30 M3 in almost every measurable performance category on paper, but its so much better because it FEELS different and is so RARE" should take note.

That same justification can be used here.

I see so many hypocrites in this thread its enlightening as to the true nature of humanity.



HP/$ is a comparison best left to people who are insecure about the size of their penis.

who's crying about 460hp for 140K? try telling that to a Bentley owner with his 456hp for a quarter million.

If you have that kind of money you are buying the car because you want it, not because you're comparison shopping.

Besides, I'm firm believer that its not always about how much HP you have, but what you can do with it.


All the internet jockeys on this website are fun to watch though.

[uofom3]

I agree that the $/hp argument is pretty dumb. And I love the idea of a 470hp, lightweight M3. But honestly for that kind of money, I would much rather have a 997 Turbo with $$$ left over for upgrades. The turbo will be faster in a strait line, faster around corners, be more comfortable in any given situation and probably (dare I say it) more fun to drive both OFF AND ON the track. I love BMWs. I love M3s. But $140K is just way too much money for what you're getting with that car.

No thanks, I'll take my 997 Turbo with Ruf upgrades :)

Mariano has a lot more than 30k into his car, I know that because I have a whole hell of a lot more than 30k into my car and he has just about everything I do plus a paintjob.

The cars I could have purchased for what I have into mine would blow the 'effin doors off of it. I don't really care though. I love it for what it is. In reality, and schmuck with a bank account can buy a 997 and act like a bad ass. don't get me wrong, I'd love a 997 - but if you're a connoisseur or an afficionado it's not always simply about the balls out performance - it's a passion for a piece of history, a childhood dream, and icon, etc.

If it's about dollars to performance I'd go with the corvette crowd (as i cringe by saying that).

[SpecM]

Buying a brand new car is dumb anyway... $140k or not. Unless you like throwing money away the second you leave the dealership in it!

-yea but someone has to do it...

[Aptyp]

you know, hon2bmw,

When M1 comes out, no matter how much it costs it will be special, and all of us here will drool and dream about it. The CSL is not a super-car, not an exotic, and for BMW to ask nearly double for it, is nucking futs.

We're comparing it to Corvette, because we all here know that BMW built that car for the purists. Rich as hell, fortunate to get on that list, purists. But that car just doesn't add up to the tag. Not looks, not performance, not equipment, nothing about it is 140k special. And Corvette comes in, because it's a domestic, with not much special, but the price tag is justifiable. we could pick Viper.

[Jand3rson]

Impressive. But I'd still take a 500+ hp Hartge H50 over it. :up:





Better looking, faster, and way more rare. The CSL will be a trixied-up version of the M3. The H50 just screams all-out brutality, to me at least.

[Raxe]

Something about big name tuner cars just doesn't impress me that much. It's one thing to build the car yourself or have it one-of-a-kind like the Vladmobiles, but a car like a Hartge or a Hamann just seem to say "I've got a lot of money and not a lot of creativity".

Same goes for all of the people putting the same Schnitzer parts on their E46's, sitting with their check book in hand flipping through the latest Bavarian Autosport catalogue.

[Jon325i]

Considering that only 100 are being made and the E46 M3 CSL was never offered for sale in this country, I think our chances of seeing a E92 M3 CSL on this side of pond is somewhere between squat and never. I think BMW is doing this to keep up with tradition: take their latest 'fast car offering', strip it, give it an edge, then jack up the price. Regardless of what opinions are stated here, I guarantee you every one of those cars will have a buyer. A good number of them will probably be previous generation CSL owners too.

Jon