Wheels Australia — June 2017

20 wheelsmag.com.au

will slot a vicious ‘GTS-lite’ CS

variant into the M4 super-coupe

range has caused excitement

among fans of hi-po Beemers, and

the German car maker has

followed up with more good

news – it’s not a one-off.

Rather than a tantalising flash

in the pan, the 338kW/600Nm

CS-badged M4 (due here in

September) will herald a whole

family of CS cars sprinkled

throughout the M Division range.

Where the M-variant of a given

BMW model has traditionally

represented the top of the

company’s food chain, the ‘standard’

version will now be the entry point

into the exclusive M-car club. Above

that, the Competition variants will

offer a step up in performance,

but sit below the new line of

The new flagship of each model

line-up will be the Club Sport cars,

examples of which include the M

GTS and M4 DTM, as explained by

BMW M GmbH sales and marketing

vice president Peter Quintus.

“It will be a strategy throughout

the models – to have a base car,

a Competition car, a Competition

Sport (CS) car and maybe having a

Club Sport car,” he said.

So what’s next? Quintus would

not reveal what we can expect to

see branded with the CS badge

after the M4, but our bet would be

the M4’s mechanical twin, the M3,

or the M2 coupe.

When asked about the possibility

of an M3 CS, Quintus said the car

was “not a bad idea” but was not in

a position to elaborate.

Information provided by the

Organisation offers a glimpse

at how wide the CS net may be

cast, with confirmation that BMW

has moved to protect virtually

all applications of the CS brand,

including everything from M1 CS

to M8 CS.

Notice the absence of the X-car

SUVs? Quintus said it is unlikely

that any high-rider will be offered

in CS form but Competition

versions were “possible”.

If all of this CS chat has got you

reminiscing about the venerable

3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ and the purist’s

E46 M3 CSL, then there’s good

news here too.

“It would be logical to have

a CSL. It makes sense and it

would be a good idea,”

concluded Quintus.

DANIEL GARDNER

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Sport.

Competition

Competition variants offer

alittlemorefuryfor

customers who want some

extra heat in their M-cars.

Entry:

M4 & M4 Pure

New Pure version will

mark M4 entry-point. Loses

some equipment, but gains

Competition power & chassis

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M CAR RA

BMW’s M4 CS is pavingthe wayfor

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BMW M to dump clutch

The death of the manual gearbox inches ever

closer, with BMW confirming three-pedal M cars

are headed for the history books. A wholesale

clutch clearout will also see the brand’s DCT

auto replaced by a torque-converter unit as the

sole transmission for Bavaria’s finest. But you

can shift easy for now; the end of the friction

plate will be around 2027. BMW M’s sales and

marketing VP, Peter Quintus, said rising power

levels spelt the death of the manual, which

is currently a no-cost option in the M2 and

standard in the base M3 and M4.

W

Fast road:

Competition

JUNE 2017