2003 BMW E46 M3 CSL

In 2004 BMW’s M Sport division were riding high with the much-loved E46 M3 conquering the hearts of enthusiasts the world over with its amazing dynamics. But the Germans wanted to prove just how good the engineering under the go-fast 3 Series was, so they turned to a legendary name from BMW’s past.

The E9 3.0 CSL is a legend of touring car racing, and one of the most collectable German cars of the 1970s; a lightweight coupe honed into a scalpel-sharp, track-ready weapon. And BMW brought this name back with a limited-edition, track-ready M3.

Only 1383 “Coupe Sport Lightweight” E46 M3s were built with 544 right-hand-drive examples being put together. Only 23 CSLs were sold new in Australia by BMW Oz, sold out in minutes even at $210,000 each, making them an instant classic.

Thanks to the use of carbon-fibre the CSL came in 110kg lighter than a regular M3, weighing 1385kg. The CF roof panel alone saved 9kg, the rear window glass was thinner, while the front bumper was a lightweight CF piece, aluminium control arms and lightweight 19-inch BBS wheels shaved unsprung weight, and lightweight seats and centre console were fitted inside.

Air conditioning and the radio could be added back in, while the seats used manual adjusters to help save kilos, and centre the car’s mass nice and low in the chassis. All this work also helped set the weight distribution as 51:49, front-to-rear.

The award-winning 3.2-litre naturally aspirated DOHC in-line six-cylinder S54B32 engine is beloved by many for being a sonorous, wailing piece of precision engineering, but the CSL’s modified version (S54B32HP) is in another league of performance and aural delight. The carbon intake plenum, upgraded camshafts, improved exhaust manifold design, and change to MAP-based tuning (instead of MAF) netted 265kW (355hp) where the regular S54B32 produced 252kW.

Handling was sharpened through the use of a quick-ratio steering rack, upgraded springs and shocks, recalibrated stability control to allow more aggressive driving, and hardcore Michelin’s Pilot Sport Cup tyres. Controversially, BMW chose to only offer their ultimate M3 with the SMG II transmission and not a traditional H-pattern manual.

This Sapphire Black example was sold new in the UK and brought to Australia as a private import, showing just 70,000 miles in the last 17 years. With full service history it has covered just over 10,000 miles in the last eight years. The car has also undergone an undercarriage restoration, as well as a rear subframe check by Bavarian Engineering.

With less than 1500 CSLs built, and a legacy as the last hardcore track-focused M3 model, values for these cars have held much higher than other M Sport models. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the CSL’s release prices for well looked-after examples are climbing steadily, much the same as what happened with the original CSL, the 1970s E9, years before.