I’ve always believed that the best BMWs aren’t necessarily the most powerful or the most expensive. They’re the ones that feel raw, connected, and unapologetically focused. Cars that speak to your instincts, not your spreadsheet. That’s probably why I still think the BMW 1M is one of the best M cars ever made. I’ve owned a 1M for years now. It’s loud, twitchy, a bit of a handful—and absolutely perfect. It doesn’t have fancy suspension tech or carbon fiber overload. It’s just short, wide, manual, rear-wheel drive, and light. That last part’s key. At around 3,250 pounds, it weighs nearly 500 lbs less than the new M2 CS, so in many ways, the 1M already fits the spirit of a CSL. Maybe not officially, but emotionally? Absolutely.
That’s why I can’t help but ask: Should BMW finally make an M2 CSL?
A Lighter, Meaner M2? Yes, Please
BMW launched the second-gen M2 a little over two years ago. Since then, it’s steadily sharpened the car—first with a 20-horsepower bump in 2024, and most recently with the M2 CS, which adds even more power and drops around 90 pounds (at least in U.S. spec). It’s brilliant—but also expensive. With options, the CS creeps over six figures. And still, I can’t help but think there’s one more evolution left in the tank.
A CSL.
If BMW’s serious about building a last-of-its-kind, pure combustion driver’s car, the G87 is the perfect platform. It already has the wide-track stance, the S58 engine with ample tuning headroom, and a loyal following of owners and future collectors. A CSL version could push it even further—pulling rear seats, trimming fat wherever possible, and dialing in the kind of handling that makes you sweat a little on corner exit.
How BMW Already Teased Us With One
Let’s not forget—BMW already made an M2 CSL. Not for sale, but for internal debate. When the F87 generation was winding down, BMW M built two prototypes: an M2 CS, and a more extreme M2 CSL. The CS won out, but the CSL mule was wild—fixed rear wing, roll cage, 3D-printed aero brackets that looked like something grown in a lab. It even kept the old N55 engine, because it was just a demo car. But it showed that BMW was thinking about it.
That prototype still haunts me. Because it shows that somewhere, buried in a folder in Munich, there’s a blueprint for the perfect compact M car. All it needs is a green light.
What a Modern M2 CSL Might Look Like
Let’s imagine it for a second. A G87 CSL with no rear seats. Carbon roof, carbon hood, single-piece bucket seats, no touchscreen gimmicks—just focus. Drop another 100 pounds off the CS, maybe even more. Boost the S58 to 543 horsepower, matching the M4 CSL. Stick with rear-wheel drive—no xDrive needed—and yes, as much as it pains me to say it, ditch the manual. Not because I want to, but because the 6-speed simply can’t handle that kind of output.
It would be brutal. Expensive, too—probably close to $130,000. But in an era where the average luxury EV is pushing $90K and performance SUVs weigh nearly 6,000 pounds, maybe that’s exactly what we need: a swan song for the small, savage BMW.
I keep my 1M not because it’s fast, but because it feels fast. It’s light. It’s alive. And in a way, it’s already the CSL that BMW never built. That car reminds me every day what makes BMW M special when it’s at its best. The G87 M2 CS is close. But I think a CSL would go further, both literally and spiritually. It would be a final celebration of everything we’ve loved about gas-powered M cars—before the rules, regulators, and reality pull us into an electric future.
So yes—BMW should make an M2 CSL.
