Quite possibly the best pure driving experience to ever come from Bavaria is the E46 BMW M3 CSL. Not only is the standard E46 M3 considered by many enthusiasts to be the best M3 the brand ever made, but the CSL cranks that up to 11. Its interior was stripped out, it had a carbon fiber roof before it was cool and more power than the standard car. It did have that clunky SMG gearbox, but it was still great to drive because nothing offered more pure of a driving experience for the money. Not even close. So when one comes up for sale, regardless of the high price, we take notice.
Being sold in Germany, this 2003 BMW M3 CSL is a stunning example. It’s wearing the highly-desirable Sapphire Schwartz black paint and black interior with alcantara seats and carbon fiber door panels, as CSLs do. The extra aerodynamics of the M3 CSL look awesome and I personally love the extra circular air intake in the front bumper.
The 3.2 liter, naturally-aspirated I6 develops 356 hp and 273 lb-ft and is mated to a six-speed sequential manual gearbox (SMG). If you haven’t yet heard of the SMG, it’s an automated manual, meaning it doesn’t have a clutch pedal and is driven like an automatic, but can be fully controlled with paddle shifters. While the SMG has a reputation for being clunky and difficult to use in traffic, it’s far faster than a manual and makes the CSL as fast as possible.
This specific car only has 16,476 miles, making it basically brand new and it’s in stunningly beautiful condition. It’s wearing a $133,502 price tag, which isn’t really that outrageous for such a rare, classic collectible that is in such incredible condition.
[Source: Classic Driver]The article For Sale: Stunning 2003 BMW M3 CSL appeared first on BMW BLOG
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