Is The BMW F80 M3 CS As Special As Its Predecessors?

The folks from the Carfection YouTube channel have been making an online series titled “The M3 Masterpieces” consisting of five videos of the greatest M3s ever made.

It may come as a surprise for M purists, but a turbo-era F80 M3 has made it to the exclusive list that also includes the E30 M3 Sport Evo, E36 M3 GT, E46 M3 CSL, and E92 M3 GTS.

That car is the F80 M3 CS and, like the aforementioned models, it came at the zenith of its generation — think of it as the swan song of the series. But while the four older models are all coupes with naturally aspirated engines, the newest one is a four-door with a twin-turbo power plant.

Also Watch: BMW M3 CS Is What The F80 M3 Should Have Always Been

Sure, the M4 CS would have been the more logical choice but Carfection decided to stick to the M3 and ignore the fact that the M3 is now a four-door. The BMW M3 CS (for Club Sport) sits above the M3 Competition Package but is not quite as radical as the current M4 GTS.

Still, the CS is a proper lightweight special built in a limited edition of 1,200 units so you can’t really go wrong with buying one, given the rather low production numbers and the updated twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six that improves performance.

In this application, the engine delivers 454 hp (460 PS) and 443 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque, enough to enable the high-performance sedan to cover the 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) sprint in 3.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 173 mph (280 km/h). Impressive enough, but will this car ever achieve a cult status similar to the E46 M3 CSL? Time and collectors will surely decide.