The E46 M3 CSL (2003, 1,383 built) is the lightweight, Europe-only halo M3 - CSL stands for Coupe Sport Leichtbau (lightweight), reviving the badge from the 1970s 3.0 CSL. It's about 110 kg (243 lb) lighter than the standard M3, and the diet is real engineering rather than a trim package: a carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic roof that also drops the center of gravity, carbon body panels including the front apron and airbox, thinner rear glass, fixed-back fiberglass bucket seats, and most sound deadening and comfort equipment removed.
The S54 is uprated to 355 hp (360 PS) with a carbon airbox, revised camshafts and a freer-flowing exhaust manifold, and the car was sold only with SMG-II, retuned for roughly 80-millisecond shifts. It rode on 19-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup semi-slick tires as standard. Top speed is limited to 155 mph, though qualified buyers could have the limiter raised to about 174 mph through the M Driver's Package. It was never sold new in the US.
It was designed as a track-leaning car, so it left the factory on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup semi-slicks for dry grip. They're notably poor in the cold and wet, which is the CSL's best-known real-world caveat. Most owners fit a second set of wheels with conventional tires for everyday and wet-weather driving.
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