Call it progress, evolution, or growth, there’s no denying BMW M cars are getting faster despite getting bigger and consequently putting on more and more weight over the years. Back in 2018, Sport Auto’s test driver Christian Gebhardt drove the now-defunct M5 F90 to a 7:38.92 lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. He returned three years later with the limited-run M5 CS to cut the lap time to 7:29.57, as seen in the video attached at the bottom.
Fast forward to 2023, and nearly a second has been shaved off, but with a different driver and sedan. Piloted by development engineer Jörg Weidinger, the new M3 CS completed the challenging course in 7:28.76. On the very same day, he also lapped the Green Hell approximately 10 seconds faster by driving the M2 G87, crossing the finish line in 7:38.70 to set a new record among compact cars.
Behind the wheel of yet another car, the M4 CSL, the experienced driver took 7:18.13 to complete the lap. During that same action-packed day in April, he managed to go even faster than that in an unreleased M prototype, which we strongly believe is next year’s M4 CS.
2024 will also see the introduction of the new M5 (G90), complete with a hotly anticipated Touring (G99) variant that has already been teased. We’re all but certain the next-gen car will be chubbier after switching to a plug-in hybrid V8 inherited from the XM mastodont. We’ll have to wait and see how the extra power and weight will translate to lap times.
As a final note, we should remind you that aside from having the fastest compact car at the ‘Ring with the M2 G87, BMW also holds the title for the fastest production wagon with the M3 Touring. Many would argue these records don’t really matter at the end of the day but bragging rights might just sell some extra cars.
Source: BMW M / YouTube
