One of the hottest topics in the BMW community in the last few years was the BMW M2 CSL. Many of our reports focused on the rumored lightweight M2, but no official word from BMW ever came forward. Until today. In a social media video posted by BMW M, Markus Flasch, the M CEO, talks about the unicorn model.
“To be honest, we haven’t decided yet,” said Flasch. “But we will do more special models than in the past. We want to show that our cars are driven from the racetrack and we want to close the gap between a Competition high performance car and a racecar. And a CS or maybe even a CSL are alternatives that we take a closer look at. ”
Of course, the answer is rather evasive, but at least, the M2 CSL is finally being acknowledged.
It should be noted here that the concept of closing the gap between competition models and motorsport vehicles is not limited to the BMW M2. The same recipe can be applied with the upcoming M4 GT3 and current racing cars, like the M8 GTE. This is why future models like M4 CSL or M8 CSL can’t be ruled out.
Naturally, a BMW M2 CSL would be the ultimate road legal racecar. The sports coupe would make use of lightweight engineering, along with significant improvements to the chassis, suspension and engine power. We’ve already seen BMW experimenting with carbon fiber in the M2 Competition, across the entire body, so shedding weight is not out of the question.
For now, the top dog in the M2 lineup is the M2 CS which will have its market debut this Summer. What sets the M2 CS apart from the M2 Competition are the track-oriented solutions adopted and the output increase for the BMW S55 straight-six engine up to 450 PS / 444 hp. Furthermore, the BMW M2 CS features a carbon fiber front splitter, a carbon fiber hood with central air vent and a CFRP roof with sandwich structure. The carbon fiber festival continues with the exterior mirror casings, the rear diffuser and the boot-mounted Gurney-style spoiler.
Bottom line is this: if BMW wasn’t looking at the M2 CSL project, they would have simply ignored the question. So there is hope that either in this generation or the next one, the M2 will finally get the ultimate sports variant.
[Top image: BMW M2 GTS project by Evolve Automotive]