With the demise of the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro at the end of 2023 and only the Ford Mustang remaining in this game, the muscle car world has seen much better days. Dodge promises to bring back the Charger to this segment, perhaps as early as next month, and things are blurry regarding the bowtie brand's rival.
However, if you can compromise, then you could land something along the lines of a BMW M4 Coupe, which has a similar footprint to the Dearborn company's latest-gen pony car. And if one of the best is a must, then look no further than this BMW M4 CSL.
Designed to be a more hardcore version of the regular M4, it saw the light of day nearly two years ago, with production capped at 1,000 units. Therefore, it is a rare item, especially in North America, where it is estimated that almost 300 of them made their way to the United States and Canada in total.
This one is on the list, and it's searching for a new home with only 2,560 miles (4,120 km) on the clock at the time of cataloging. It features a paint protection film to keep the Frozen Brooklyn Gray Metallic hue safe from chips, comes with black and red accents, and has a black interior with a few red touches here and there.
Photo: RMSothebys
Like all modern-day BMW M4 CSL copies, this 2023 model uses an upgraded version of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six. The engine benefits from a redesigned cooling and oil supply system, a 3D printed cylinder head core, a forged lightweight crankshaft, electronic flaps for the sports exhaust system, and a few other goodies.
The result is 542 horsepower (550 ps/405 kW) produced at 6,250 pm and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm) at 2,750-5,950 rpm. This represents a 39 hp (40 ps/29 kW) increase over the M4 Competition. The thrust goes to the rear axle via an eight-speed transmission. BMW quotes the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) at 3.7 seconds and says it needs 10.7 seconds from rest to 124 mph (200 kph).
Besides the extra oomph, the M4 CSL has new springs and struts, carbon ceramic brakes, lightweight alloys, less insulation, bucket seats, rear-seat delete, and carbon fiber roof, hood, and trunk lid, and it is 46 pounds (21 kg) lighter. The 10.25-inch infotainment and 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster are standard, alongside the automatic climate control and a few safety systems.
When it was new, BMW used to charge at least $139,900, excluding the $995 destination charge, for each M4 CSL it sold in the United States. This one is estimated to fetch between $150,000 and $175,000 when it goes under the gavel at RMSotheby's Miami auction on March 1-2, where it will be offered at no reserve. So, is it your next fun car?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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