I’ve at all times believed that one of the best BMWs aren’t essentially essentially the most highly effective or the most costly. They’re those that really feel uncooked, related, and unapologetically centered. Automobiles that talk to your instincts, not your spreadsheet. That’s in all probability why I nonetheless assume the BMW 1M is likely one of the finest M automobiles ever made. I’ve owned a 1M for years now. It’s loud, twitchy, a little bit of a handful—and completely excellent. It doesn’t have fancy suspension tech or carbon fiber overload. It’s simply quick, broad, guide, rear-wheel drive, and light-weight. That final half’s key. At round 3,250 kilos, it weighs almost 500 lbs lower than the brand new M2 CS, so in some ways, the 1M already suits the spirit of a CSL. Perhaps not formally, however emotionally? Completely.
That’s why I can’t assist however ask: Ought to BMW lastly make an M2 CSL?
A Lighter, Meaner M2? Sure, Please
BMW launched the second-gen M2 somewhat over two years in the past. Since then, it’s steadily sharpened the automotive—first with a 20-horsepower bump in 2024, and most not too long ago with the M2 CS, which provides much more energy and drops round 90 kilos (a minimum of in U.S. spec). It’s good—but in addition costly. With choices, the CS creeps over six figures. And nonetheless, I can’t assist however assume there’s yet another evolution left within the tank.
A CSL.
If BMW’s severe about constructing a last-of-its-kind, pure combustion driver’s automotive, the G87 is the proper platform. It already has the wide-track stance, the S58 engine with ample tuning headroom, and a loyal following of homeowners and future collectors. A CSL model may push it even additional—pulling rear seats, trimming fats wherever potential, and dialing within the form of dealing with that makes you sweat somewhat on nook exit.
How BMW Already Teased Us With One
Let’s not overlook—BMW already made an M2 CSL. Not on the market, however for inner debate. When the F87 era was winding down, BMW M constructed two prototypes: an M2 CS, and a extra excessive M2 CSL. The CS received out, however the CSL mule was wild—fastened rear wing, roll cage, 3D-printed aero brackets that seemed like one thing grown in a lab. It even saved the outdated N55 engine, as a result of it was only a demo automotive. Nevertheless it confirmed that BMW was excited about it.
That prototype nonetheless haunts me. As a result of it exhibits that someplace, buried in a folder in Munich, there’s a blueprint for the proper compact M automotive. All it wants is a inexperienced mild.
What a Fashionable M2 CSL May Look Like
Let’s think about it for a second. A G87 CSL with no rear seats. Carbon roof, carbon hood, single-piece bucket seats, no touchscreen gimmicks—simply focus. Drop one other 100 kilos off the CS, perhaps much more. Increase the S58 to 543 horsepower, matching the M4 CSL. Keep on with rear-wheel drive—no xDrive wanted—and sure, as a lot because it pains me to say it, ditch the guide. Not as a result of I need to, however as a result of the 6-speed merely can’t deal with that form of output.
It might be brutal. Costly, too—in all probability near $130,000. However in an period the place the common luxurious EV is pushing $90K and efficiency SUVs weigh almost 6,000 kilos, perhaps that’s precisely what we want: a swan tune for the small, savage BMW.
I maintain my 1M not as a result of it’s quick, however as a result of it feels quick. It’s mild. It’s alive. And in a method, it’s already the CSL that BMW by no means constructed. That automotive jogs my memory daily what makes BMW M particular when it’s at its finest. The G87 M2 CS is shut. However I feel a CSL would go additional, each actually and spiritually. It might be a ultimate celebration of all the pieces we’ve beloved about gas-powered M automobiles—earlier than the foundations, regulators, and actuality pull us into an electrical future.
So sure—BMW ought to make an M2 CSL.
