BMW didn’t launch a supercar in 2022 when the M division celebrated its 50th anniversary but it did release the next best thing. No, we’re not talking about the XM plug-in hybrid SUV, but rather about the 3.0 CSL. The company’s most expensive new car ever is limited to only 50 units and uses the M4 CSL as the foundation. Following the world premiere last November, a new set of images shows how the ultra-exclusive coupe is built at an external location of the BMW Group Dingolfing plant in Moosthenning, Lower Bavaria.
It’ll take three months to build all cars as each 3.0 CSL goes through eight assembly cycles at just as many production stations during an intricate procedure that can take up to 10 days. An homage to the E9 “Batmobile,” the highly exclusive sports car uses a modified body harkening back to the 1970s legend. The changes are made at the same body shop in Dingolfing where the M4 GT4’s body is produced.
After that, the livery in the three famous colors is applied by hand. No fewer than 22 individual parts are manually painted and each vehicle goes through a whopping 134 paint processes. In total, 6,700 manual work sequences in the paint shop are necessary for the small series. It takes a team of 30 experts to assemble the bespoke car, which required making changes to the factory to accommodate those centerlock wheels.
Once the 3.0 CSL is finished, it’s then put on test benches and brake dynamometers before undergoing final inspection, which includes driving the car around the test track at the Dingolfing factory. The customer chooses whether they want the car to be delivered or pick it up from the BMW Welt.
Aside from having a unique body with a special finish, the 3.0 CSL is also the most powerful inline-six car ever made by BMW M. The twin-turbo, 3.0-liter engine produces 560 hp or an extra 10 hp compared to the M4 CSL. The S58 routes power to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox rather than the eight-speed automatic of the M4 CSL. Torque has been limited to 550 Nm (404 lb-ft), representing a decrease of 100 Nm (74 lb-ft) to protect the transmission.
BMW never said how much the 3.0 CSL costs but we do know the only car earmarked for Spain will be sold through a private auction at a starting bid of €800,000 ($851,000). The desirable coupe has been engineered exclusively for left-hand-drive markets and isn’t homologated for the United States.
Source: BMW
