Forbidden Fruit: BMW Builds First-Ever M3 CS Touring

BMW

Apparently America doesn’t need the regular long roof BMW 3-Series, nor the mighty M3 version—and certainly not the ultimate CS speedwagon that’s just been offered to the rest of the world.

Lighter, stiffer, faster and even more agile, that’s the promise of the M3 CS Touring—a promise that will sadly remained unfulfilled in the U.S.A.

Carbon fiber replaces sheet metal for the hood, while the composite material is also used for the front splitter and air intakes, mirror caps and rear diffuser. M Carbon bucket seats are installed and there’s more carbon for shift paddles and interior trim. It all adds up to a weight saving of 33 lbs.

BMW M3 CS Touring cabin
BMW

There’s a unique chassis tune for the CS with new settings for the DSC system, the adaptive M Suspension, and M Servotronic steering. Braking comes courtesy of M Ceramic discs and forged M light-alloy wheels are fitted, sized at 19-inches up front and 20-inches at the rear. The standard ‘track’ tires are 275/35 ZR19 front and 285/30 ZR20 rear, with ‘sport’ or ‘ultra-track’ rubber on the options list. A front strut brace can also be specified for added torsional rigidity.

The three-liter, twin-turbo inline-six engine builds on the M3 Competition’s performance, delivering an additional 20 hp for a grand total of 550 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. BMW’s M division says the engine adopts a number of race-derived elements including a rigid crankcase with a sleeve-free, closed-deck construction, a forged lightweight crankshaft, and a cylinder head with a 3D-printed core. Weight-saving cylinder bores have a wire-arc sprayed iron coating to reduce friction. The cooling system and oil supply are also upgraded to handle the heat of track work, and there’s an M-specific switchable exhaust system with a titanium silencer.

The engine sits on new mounts with greater spring rates for a more rigid connection between drivetrain and chassis. Drive is via an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission, which comes with three different shift settings. Power goes to all four wheels, but drivers can switch to rear-drive only for smoky drifts and burnouts.

BMW M3 CS Touring drift2
BMW

Engage launch control for maximum traction off the line and the M3 CS Touring will scorch from 0-62 mph in 3.5 seconds and hit 124 mph in 11.7 seconds. Top speed is limited to 186 mph.

Drivers can monitor their own performance with the built-in M Drift Analyser and M Laptimer. Well, those in Europe, Australia, Japan, and South Korea can, at least.

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Comments

    Since it is not a hybrid I assume this doesn’t weigh 5000 pounds plus on the scales? Still that face, I couldn’t.

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