Thursday 29th October 2009

BMW Reveals One-Off M5 'CSL'

Munich celebrates M5's quarter-century with 580bhp M5

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The M5 has been with us for 25 years now, and BMW has marked the supercar-bothering super saloon's anniversary with this heavily-modified track version, which they describe as "the M5 CSL we never built". And as it's a one-off prototype, it looks like they're still not going to.

The Martini-esque 'M Sport' colours wrap around a carbon fibre roof and remodelled front bumper, the latter taking its new shape to make way for a secondary oil cooler. The M5's 5.0-litre V10 has its capacity upped to 5.5-litres with a longer stroke, and the car also gets a carbon fibre manifold with an enlarged air box.

The net result of these tweaks has not been officially released, but when the car was revealed at BMW's Nürburgring-based prototype workshop, M-Sport's head of development Albert Biermann reportedly suggested a rather impressive 580bhp. That is a gain of 73bhp over the standard M5, and torque is also claimed to be up to around 400 lb ft.

Weight is down by 50kg to 1780kg, mostly achieved with that carbon fibre roof and a thorough strip-down of the interior. We're told the back seats are gone, along with much of the trim, and the comfy front seats are replaced with racier carbon fibre jobbies. But despite the decrease in weight and increase in power, the suspension is apparently pretty close to standard, with altered mapping for the variable dampers the only tweak deemed necessary.

Helping to cope with the power hike and the demands of harder driving is a modified version of the seven-speed Getrag double clutch gearbox from the M3, with paddle and stick shifters.

At this point the precise performance figures are not known, but racing driver (and top German female pilot) Claudia Huertgen apparently took the modified M5 around the 'Ring in under eight minutes, clocking speeds of over 180mph.

Sadly there are no plans to bring the car into production at the moment, as BMW is focusing its development efforts on the next M5. Unfortunately, there's little hope that any of what we see here will influence the new M5 when it emerges - all reports suggest the next version will be down-sized to a turbo'd V8 in the quest for a 'greener footprint'. But for now we thought you'd enjoy a few snaps from the M5's 25-year and thorougly un-green past.

E28 M5	E34 M5
E39 M5	E60 M5

 

[Collaudatore]

Come on BMW!!! Make it!!!

I'll buy it....

(Subject to finance )

[pistolp]

It's a shame that BMW are no longer building this types of cars. I've got an E92 M3 and a E46 M3 CSL - if they built another CSL I would definitely buy it. It is such a special car.

They seem to have forgotten their slogan of 'ultimate driving machine'.

[RobM77]

I never thought I'd read the phrase "weight down to 1780kg"

Seriously though, looks like a great car

[pistolp]

Just read that they dropped that slogan in 2006. Explains a few things!

[Craigy_97elise]

From the Article: "That is a gain of 173bhp over the standard M5"

No, it's not. The E60 M5 has 507 hp.

Someone fix the article?

Craig

Edited by Craigy_97elise on Thursday 29th October 13:03

[Craigy_97elise]

I wonder if that engine is what they planned for the next M5 before the direction change to turbo engines. It would make sense..

C

[RB Will]

They have done a carbon roof, thrown away the back seats and replaced heavy electric front one with lightweight jobbies and its only saved 50kg! Was it really worth the effort?

[chippy17]

RobM77 said:

I never thought I'd read the phrase "weight down to 1780kg"

Seriously though, looks like a great car

they've also managed to shave a massive 50kgs off as well, it wears the CSL bagde with pride then as it is truly a lightweight

Edited by chippy17 on Thursday 29th October 13:06

[Fidgits]

Craigy_97elise said:

From the Article: "That is a gain of 173bhp over the standard M5"

No, it's not. The E60 M5 has 507 hp.

Someone fix the article?

Craig

Edited by Craigy_97elise on Thursday 29th October 13:03

yeah, those were exactly my thoughts...

[10 Pence Short]

RB Will said:

They have done a carbon roof, thrown away the back seats and replaced heavy electric front one with lightweight jobbies and its only saved 50kg! Was it really worth the effort?

A stonking fat sausage eating German in the passenger seat and all that weight saving goes to pot. Can they make fat sausage eating Germans out of carbon fibre?

Edited by 10 Pence Short on Thursday 29th October 13:08

[djon]

Fidgits said:

Craigy_97elise said:

From the Article: "That is a gain of 173bhp over the standard M5"

No, it's not. The E60 M5 has 507 hp.

Someone fix the article?

Craig

Edited by Craigy_97elise on Thursday 29th October 13:03

yeah, those were exactly my thoughts...

And mine.

The numbers don't even work if you hadn't pressed the 'Power' button. I take it it's 'just' an extra 73bhp? What would a remap and some sporty pipes acheive?

[Hammerwerfer]

pistolp said:

They seem to have forgotten their slogan of 'ultimate driving machine'.

They binned that slogan, It is now "A Company of Ideas".

Cloth cars, ever bigger SUV monstrosities, etc.

[130R]

I think this story comes from autocar and contains a few inaccuracies ...

[Matt UK]

Fidgits said:

Craigy_97elise said:

From the Article: "That is a gain of 173bhp over the standard M5"

No, it's not. The E60 M5 has 507 hp.

Someone fix the article?

Craig

Edited by Craigy_97elise on Thursday 29th October 13:03

yeah, those were exactly my thoughts...

Agreed.

C'mon PH! These are bread and butter facts!

[LittleSwill]

I've never heard of M stripes being referred to as Martini colours before. Is that just me?

[minimanAC]

"The classic Martini colours wrap..."

Pretty sure those colours are BMW M divisions trademark and nothing to do with martini?

[Craigy_97elise]

djon said:

The numbers don't even work if you hadn't pressed the 'Power' button. I take it it's 'just' an extra 73bhp? What would a remap and some sporty pipes acheive?

Another typo could be they have managed to bump it up to 680bhp from 5.5 litres, which is probably near impossible without a five-figure revlimit.
It's more likely the journo and subeditor were both asleep at the wheel.

C

[Craigy_97elise]

130R said:

I think this story comes from autocar and contains a few inaccuracies ...

Nothing if not consistently inaccurate.

C

[louismchuge]

Craigy_97elise said:

130R said:

I think this story comes from autocar and contains a few inaccuracies ...

Nothing if not consistently inaccurate.

C

yeah, read that yesterday and thought it was wrong

[leon9191]

"The M5's 5.0-litre V10 is bored out to 5.5-litres, with a longer stroke"???

Pet peev of mine, Pistonheads have said this before and I made a comment then as well, if they used a longer stroke i.e. crank then it has been stroked out to 5.5l not bored.