BMW M3 CSL: PH Carpool
PHer travels a long road to find his perfect car; in the CSL he might finally have got it
Car: BMW E46 M3 CSL
Owned Since: July 2013
Previously Owned: Capri 1.6 GL, a variety of small Escorts, a Peugeot 205XT, Orion Ghia, E36 318i, E36 328i, E46 325ci M-Sport Cab, E39 520i Touring.
Sociable CSL community has been a big help
“I saw one once, in Manchester on Deansgate, and it turned my head. Then there are the clips of it stationary at Anglesey on the Fifth Gear review where it looks simply jaw-droppingly wonderful. I bought the 325 Cab eight or nine years ago now and never really liked it; I didn’t like it on the test drive but was gullible enough to part with £26K for it. To be fair it looked good in Silver Grey.
“After that I could never really settle on a car I wanted. I went from Navaras and Barbarians to old Porsches but couldn’t make a decision. I’ve wanted an M3 for years, however, but couldn’t decide if it was just more of the same after the 325ci. After much thought the time came and a CSL was the only way to go; the man logic being I want to drive on track and learn to drive at speed properly. It has four seats, which is important as I have a family to think about, and I’m well used to the E46. Of course prices were on the up, still are, and so the depreciation I felt with the 325 was unlikely to be repeated with a good CSL. The one I have took a year to find and a deal was struck – in other words I paid the asking price without seeing the car in the flesh. I wouldn’t recommend this, but it’s a well-known car in the CSL community, as was its owner who was also prominent in the Porsche world. And a lovely and knowledgeable fella he turned out to be. You know who you are.
“I researched the car to death before handing over my money. Mileage was mid-70s so this was a car I could use; not something I was too frightened to fill up.”
Buffed up and on show...
“I wish I’d bought one a couple of years earlier when prices were lower. The 10th Anniversary trip to Munich by the CSL Register guys shone a spotlight on the CSL and interest, together with prices, gathered pace. The previous owner made a healthy profit on this jalopy!”
Things I love:
“It. I don’t use it daily, so any time it’s out of the garage it’s an event. It brings a lot to my world. It attends shows such as BMW Club UK’s Aberystwyth gathering, Tatton Park Classic and Performance and Didsbury this year so the whole family get a benefit from it. I’ve lent it to dealers for display purposes and it draws a small amount of attention – but only from people in the know.
“It sounds amazing of course and for the cost, I doubt anything can compare.
“It’s not just a show car. I’ve used it at Millbrook and Bruntingthorpe for performance and grip training days and it’s no stranger to the sublime roads of North Wales. This year I will take it to Oulton Park for the first time and possibly Donington. It is very definitely my car.
“The CSLRegister crowd are awesome, much respect to them – they know these cars inside out and share their collective knowledge freely. I can’t imagine having the CSL without them.
“Zero or close depreciation.”
Things I hate:
“I wish the SMG was a bit less clunky but otherwise it’s sublime.”
...getting stuck in at Bruntingthorpe
“Not huge, but then nothing big has gone wrong so far. Fuel is usually high 20s no matter what but as mileage is minimal, this doesn’t really matter. I’ve uprated the brakes with a secondhand set of Alcon CSL Cups all round at a cost of £2,500 and that was money very well spent. Trail braking into a coned chicane from 125-130 mph under complete control at Bruntingthorpe showed how good these stoppers really are. So as not to offend my friends on the CSLRegister, I’m sure APs are equally proficient if not more so.
“Training has cost thousands so far, but to get the most out of the car I needed it. I cannot recommend CAT highly enough.
“Clay, polish and wax bills have inexplicably risen.”
Where I’ve been:
“As far as Tenby from my Bolton base. With the family and with no complaints about comfort. In S1 and Sport off, it’s a baby – not as comfortable as the E92 M3 but bearable and fun.
“Millbrook for a day’s high speed tuition and Bruntingthorpe for high speed circuit training. It’s a quick car and I’m an average driver – I needed to rectify that before I hurt myself, someone else or the car.
This is the car that hit 170mph at one of the early Vmax sessions and was dyno’d at 373bhp by a reputable motor sport outfit according to a PH thread. It’s been featured in numerous car magazines.”
What next?
“I’d like a SuperSprint system after hearing one on a friend’s CSL. As I spend more time on track with it and I get to be a better driver, I may look to change the suspension to something stiffer and replace Super Sports for those, sticky grippy Cups. Maybe one day I’ll try a serious Porsche or may be a GT-R to scratch an itch but otherwise the CSL is my perfect car, clunks and all.”
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
I really want one but there are already too many weekend cars in the garage that don’t get driven enough and with the SMG just pushes it over the edge of being too hardcore for a daily driver. But it is certainly going to go down in history as a blue chip car investment in the future and one of the all time greats of recent car history.
http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=161&i=275...
2003 BMW M3 CSL 7:50
2014 BMW M3 7:52
2011 BMW 1M Coupe 8:15
yes, yes, tyres and all that but still. And lets not even talk about the emotional factor of the NA engine with a carbon airbox versus the pretty stock 3L Biturbo.
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