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BMW teases with 580 hp M5 CSL

Posted by Hootan Mahallati | October 28, 2009 | In bmw news

CSL. These iconic letters suggest ultra-special in BMW speak dating back to the famous Batmobile of yesteryear. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, BMW's M Division has now affixed the letters to a one-off M5 CSL, which should have any car buff salivating intensely.

The most special part of the M5 CSL is of course its new engine. The M Division increased the base 5.0L V10's capacity to 5.5L with a longer stroke, creating the largest ever M engine. A carbon fiber manifold featuring a bigger air box and a secondary oil cooler combine to give the M5 CSL a reported 580 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. The base M5, in comparison, is good for 507 hp and 348 lb-ft of torque. This prodigious power is mated with a an uprated version of the M3's seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The M5 CSL is significantly lighter than a standard M5. The M Division achieved this by giving the car a carbon fiber roof, replacing the front seats with lighter carbon fiber units, and getting rid of the back seat all together.

The M division’s head of development, Albert Biermann, calls the car “the M5 CSL we never built” but insists that the project is really a one-off. “Right now we’re concentrating on the next-generation M5. This car has been fun to develop but there are no plans for production,” he says. He has also confirmed that the CSL has lapped the Nurburgring in under eight minutes, some 20 seconds faster than a base M5. Claudia Huertgen, a racing driver who this year drove the new Alpina M6 GT3 race car in the FIA sportscar championship, was responsible for the lap time. “It’s a lot gutsier than the standard M5,” she says. “You can sense the added drive out of corners. There’s more bottom end shove. I’m pulling over 180mph under the bridge at the Doettinger Hohe [the fastest point of the track]."

As automotive teases go, this has to be one of the naughtiest of all time.

[Source: Autocar]

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