At the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show, BMW CEO Frank van Meel, said that the GTS moniker will be retired the iconic CSL will take its place. “The CSL name will be the most hardcore and track-ready cars in the M lineup. “CSL [will be] the top-of-the-line track tool, made on the track for the track, just with a number plate,” Van Meel told Road & Track.

Now BMW moves forward with its plans to revive the CSL moniker for some of its M models by filling a selection of CSL names with the World Intellectual Property Organization in Germany. The trademarks include M1 CSL, M2 CSL, M3 CSL, M4 CSL, M5 CSL, M6 CSL, M7 CSL and M8 CSL.

Interesting enough, BMW has also filed patents for M1 CS through to M8 CS, a clear sign that the CSL will be the top performance models in the M lineup, while the CS moniker will be saved for more toned versions for the street.

Despite the vast numbers of patents filed, it’s unlikely that BMW will build a CSL or CS version for each one of its series. The patent filing is simple a way to secure those names, just in case. 

 

The first CSL model to see the light of day is the rumored M2 CSL, which has yet to be approved for production for BMW.

[Source: bimmerpost]