Autoblog: BMW cancels development of E92 M3 CSL

WEAK!

now it's down to us to strip all the heavy crap out
 
How hard is it just to release an M3 with most of the crap stripped out?

It also needs a new suspension setup(1), brakes than don't overheat no matter what(2), more downforce(3), unique styling touches(4), etc etc...

If it were as simple as just stripping stuff out, you could buy a regular M3 and strip it out yourself.

1 - brilliant-suspension-engineer time = expensive, extremely limited amount
2 - minor front redesign - a couple of new elements that you'll only make 1500 times, and you'll have to stock spares for the next 20 years
3 - aero tunnel time - VERY expensive
4 - lots and lots of graphic designer time, it'll take alot of time to make the design coherent, requires many design iterations because it must also be good aerodynamically

Making cars ain't like dusting crops, boy.
 
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By 1680kg you mean 1580kg?

http://www.bmw.com.au/scripts/main....D=18&PrimaryModelID=1000126&Screen=ModelSpecs

While its still quite heavy, its one of the lighter 4 door saloons.
No no, I meant 1680 kgs.

BMW says 1655 kgs (http://www.bmw.de/de/de/newvehicles/mseries/m3coupe/2007/allfacts/engine/technical_data.html), but as they're all saying their cars lighter than they actually are, it weighs 1680 kgs according to reviews. The figure in brackets (1675 kgs) is for the DKG gearbox version.

And that's in no way light, not even if it really were 1580 kgs. We're talking about a small limousine here. The V8 engine actually is 10 kgs lighter than the old I6. Still, they managed to slap another 110 kgs on the car. As delicate as it may drive, that's just too much for a small limousine.
 
Stripping it out requires intelligence, something most BMW drivers... aren't really known for. They would simply be left with a pile of metal which doesn't work.

Point taken
 
Stripping it out requires intelligence, something most BMW drivers... aren't really known for. They would simply be left with a pile of metal which doesn't work.
<_< :mad:
 
E46 CSL owners have just exploded with joy. Means values of their cars are going to skyrocket.
 
^^Good point. This is really stupid by BMW, they need a CSL to bridge the gap to the release of the new M3...
 
well, who'd buy one anyways?

Probably not too many people, but they only built 1400 of the previous CSL's worldwide. And I don't think any came to the US. I'm sure they could sell a decent number of new CSL's in the US alone, and at least a 1000 everywhere else. It wouldn't be a money making scheme, but every manufacturer that makes performance vehicles should have a road going racer. There's the new Viper ACR, the 911 GT3RS and the Ferrari Scuderia to name a few recent examples. BMW has it's driver oriented reputation to uphold, they need a halo car like a new CSL to show people that they still mean business.
 
E46 CSL owners have just exploded with joy. Means values of their cars are going to skyrocket.

*checks .no market for CSL's*

*finds nothing*

*moves to .de where you can get a CSL for less than the average income in .no*
 
Shame, it would have been brilliant if they tuned the yuppie mobile into a proper high performance M car. It could have been epic...
 
CSL cancellation = epic fail.
 
E46 CSL owners have just exploded with joy. Means values of their cars are going to skyrocket.

CSL owners are already losing up to 50% of their vehicle values. It won't stop depreciating just because the new M3 CSL project is cancelled.

I can pick up a pre-owned 2006 M3 CSL with a price tag that is half a million Rand cheaper (USD $62 000) than the showroom price.
 
In economical terms it is not a failure...actually it is very smart. But hell, if you are a self-respected , driving-oriented car manufacturer you need a flagship. Something that is light (or even lighter, that would do the trick too), more powerful and more hardcore than your normal line up (and that includes the M3). If it was up to me, i would go to even greater lengths of stripping out and make this a proper trackday car. So this announcement is a major disappointment for me even though i am not a big BMW fan.
 
I see it as a lost opportunity, especially since BMW really got the basics right with the current M3.
 
Did they hire some former GM accountants or something?

The E92 is really the new yuppie sports car of choice, good for BMW's pockets bad for us gearheads. The E46 was much more of a purist car. Still, with the E92 being so fat I'd like to see what a slim one could do.

Isn't it funny how we say that about every generation of 3-Series?
 
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