As it turns out, those M4 CSL prototypes we’ve been seeing lately had the production wheels. The umpteenth teaser released by BMW puts the spotlight on the glossy black alloys of the Coupe Sport Lightweight. It remains to be seen whether the wheels are part of the drastic diet the car has gone through to earn its CSL badge. Either way, the design will be exclusive to the special edition and we’re not necessarily expecting an increase in size over the 20-inch rear and 19-inch front setup of the regular M4.
The M-branded wheel will have the vintage BMW Motorsport roundel as all M and M Sport cars produced this year when the performance division marks its 50th anniversary. Lurking from behind the black wheels are likely bigger brakes to match a highly probable bump in output for the S58. It is believed the twin-turbo 3.0-liter engine will be pushed closer to the 550-hp mark.
Logic tells us BMW M has opted for carbon-ceramic brakes since they’re lighter than the traditional compound brakes. As revealed in a previous teaser, the wheels will come wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Rs, which are regarded as among the best street-legal performance tires money can buy. Don’t go looking for these wheels in the M Performance catalog because you can’t order them for a standard M4.
Only the rear wheels will be getting the engine’s power as BMW won’t give the M4 CSL an xDrive setup. It also won’t put a manual gearbox, but that’s not all too surprising since the Competition is also an automatic-only affair. The third-ever CSL will be a rare breed, with production believed to be capped at merely 1,000 units for the entire world.
The CSL is the first of at least three special M4s that BMW is working on. Before the year’s end, a revival of the 3.0 CSL will pair the M4 CSL with the retro styling of the 2015 Hommage concept for a 600-horsepower machine believed to cost more than 700,000 euros. Later in 2023, an M4 CS will bridge the gap between the Competition and CSL.
Source: BMW M / Instagram
