The popularity of conventional auto shows has dwindled in recent years, prompting legacy automakers to rethink their agendas regarding when and where to debut new products. Take for example BMW, which just unveiled the M4 CSL at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and will launch the M3 Touring next month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
A new Coupe Sport Lightweight only comes in a couple of decades, so introducing the hardcore M4 on the shores of Lake Como in Italy goes to show the rising popularity of the event. We had the opportunity to shoot the car again and capture the finer details of the most track-focused BMW since the M4 GTS from late 2015.
As with all the official images, the M4 CSL was presented to the public in Frozen Brooklyn Grey metallic, an exclusive paint job. Alternatively, BMW is selling the car in Sapphire Black or Alpine White at no additional cost. Regardless of choice, all 1,000 units planned for production have the carbon fiber aerodynamic package and red accents.
It looks properly menacing when viewed from the front courtesy of its redesigned grille and the large spoiler lip with winglets proudly carrying the red M4 CSL logo. While the car’s nose will likely stir some controversy because of the you know what, the incorporated rear spoiler should be universally appreciated by those who remember the M3 E46 CSL.
Since we’re at the back, we can’t help but notice the taillights look rather special even on a sunny day. The M4 GTS we mentioned earlier had OLEDs, but BMW decided to do things differently and used light threads woven into the glass covers and illuminated using laser tech. This novel method gives the taillights more depth and a tridimensional effect visible that looks more spectacular at night.
As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we can all agree the M4 CSL is shaping up to be a real beast if we’re strictly talking about the performance promised by BMW.
