Following a one-year hiatus forced by the coronavirus pandemic, the Essen Motor Show is back for 2021. Europe’s largest car show dedicated to the tuning scene is currently hosting a variety of BMWs, but there are a couple of cars that stand out from the crowd. We can all agree the M3 CSL is one of the stars, described by the peeps from BMW as being the “E46’s finest.”
It honestly looks a bit too flashy for our tastes, but we’re willing to let that go considering how special and rare these Coupe Sport Lightweight cars are. Merely 1,383 units were produced and all of them shaved off 110 kilograms (243 pounds) compared to the M3 Coupe while gaining an extra 17 hp and 5 Nm from the same S54B32 engine. All were finished in either Sapphire Black or Silver Grey, and we’re hoping this shiny and overly glitzy gold finish is just a body wrap rather than actual paint.
Speaking of rare cars, although far less exclusive as the M3 CSL, the drop-dead gorgeous Z8 is also attending the Essen Motor Show this year. The fine example of the roadster rides on Alpina wheels and has the fabric roof instead of the color-matching hardtop that was shipped with each car. 5,703 modern-day tributes to the classic 507 were made, featuring a design that never gets old. We’d argue it looks even better with the hardtop, but it’s a matter of taste at the end of the day.
There are a lot more BMWs you can check out at the show in Germany, varying from current models such as the M4 Competition to some old-timers like an M3 E30. In addition, Essen hosts a couple of purpose-built drift cars, namely a G82 and an E30 from Red Bull Driftbrothers. The event kicked off this weekend and will come to an end in a week from today, on December 5.
You can see all BMWs participating at the 2021 Essen Motor Show at the source link below.
[Source: DrGumoLunatic / YouTube]
