This is currently a very exciting time to be a BMW enthusiast. We’ve got cars like the M4 GTS, M2, M3/M4 Competition Pack and the M760Li xDrive. Right now, there are more high-performance, enthusiast-driven BMW’s in the brand’s lineup than we’ve seen in a long time. But is there still something missing?
One kind of car that BMW enthusiasts have been begging the Bavarians for is some sort of mid-engine supercar. Ever since the M1 departed decades ago, BMW fans have been clamoring for a new version of it, something with gorgeous styling, its engine in the middle and drive going to the rear. BMW teases us years ago with the M1 Hommage concept, which was stunning. That didn’t turn out to be anything after all. We did get the BMW i8, which is technically a mid-engine supercar, but it’s a hybrid and all-wheel drive, so it didn’t really satisfy anyone’s hunger for the M1.
Another kind of car that BMW fans have been asking for is another M3 CSL of sorts. The E46 M3 CSl is considered to be one of the best BMWs of all time by many fans, thanks to its hardcore style and surgical precision. However, ever since BMW put the CSL away, it hasn’t yet brought back another. Sure, there was the M3 GTS and now the M4 GTS, but they’re not the same. Fans want a new CSL, something along the lines of an M2 CSL, something that can actually be bought by mortal men.
So of those two types of cars, which would you like BMW to make more?
Obviously, the answer is both. But let’s pretend BMW can only, and will only, make one. Let’s pretend that BMW is taking a poll to see which one to create. So, which do you choose?
On one hand, it would be really nice to see BMW strike back at Audi and its R8 with a mid-engine M1. BMW has all of the workings to do so, also. The Bavarians already have a mid-engine, carbon fiber platform in the BMW i8. But instead of fitting it with all-wheel drive and batteries, just put in the same twin-turbocharged I6 engine that’s in the M4, bump up the power a bit and connect it to BMW’s DCT gearbox. Give it some new styling that looks more BMW M1 than i8 and make sure it has a kick-ass soundtrack. That sounds like it could be the recipe for one of the best BMWs in recent memory and would probably be fast enough to take on the Audi R8 V10.
On the other hand, having a small, lightweight sports car like a BMW M2 CSL would be pretty amazing as well. The M2 is already considered to be the best BMW currently on sale, bringing back the memories of the BMW’s of yesteryear. So just imagine what it might be like if it were lighter, more powerful and more dynamic? It would be legendary and would crush everything else on the market. Sure, it would be a bit pricey, just like the E46 M3 CSL, but it would be worth it because the driving experience would be more pure than anything else with a roundel on the hood.
Both ideas for a new BMW sound extremely tempting and it’s difficult to choose which one I’d want more. But if it were my choice and I had the final say, I’d probably go M1 supercar successor. The BMW M2 is already great and the M4 GTS already sort of fills that desire for a CSL. But BMW hasn’t had a mid-engine supercar since the late ’70s/early ’80s. So fans are in desperate need for something exotic and exciting from BMW, something that can allow BMW to compete with the most high-priced exotics in the world. If it were my choice, that’s what I’d pick. What about you?
