Just A Tribute?
We love tributes. They aren’t the real thing, but they’re often more accessible and, on wonderfully rare occasions, better than the inspiration. Heck, we know some of you enjoy tributes as we’ve seen the Turner Motorsport tribute liveries you’ve created for your BMWs either in real life or in video games. But when it comes to tributes to special production cars, people (read: purists) tend to become cranky. So where do we draw the line? Does one need to be drawn? How much can you do before your build is considered a tribute, and therefore, an affront to the car gods? This week, we’re focusing on the BMW E46 M3 CSL and some of the things that made it amazing (as well as a few things that made it hard to live with.) | | | | The E46 M3 CSL was a special production version of the last naturally-aspirated straight-six M3. It boasted a roughly 20hp improvement over the standard S54-equipped version, was significantly lighter, featured unique CSL-upgrades like the wheels, carbon roof, ducktail trunk, front bumper, and more, as well as a smattering of CSL-specific badging to remind owners they had something unique. However, in the effort to make the M3 lighter and more track-focused, BMW chose to omit equipment that makes a car livable as a regular driver.
This special edition M3 lacks both a radio and air conditioning, was not offered with a manual transmission option, had lightened rear window glass, a cardboard flooring for the trunk, and shaved weight wherever it could in a few other spots to make it more competitive than the standard E46 M3. While these changes make for a much faster track car, they also make the E46 M3 CSL more difficult to justify as something usable on the street. This is a shame, as it isn’t exactly a homologation special, nor is it a stripped-out, caged, dedicated race car. It has elements of both a road car and a track weapon, but can’t metaphorically ‘pick a lane.’ | | | | So, to replicate much of the good without sacrificing the car’s drivability, why not take a standard E46 M3 and give it some CSL touches? First and foremost, no one will attack you for modifying a run-of-the-mill E46 M3, especially not with high-quality or OEM parts. Secondly, you have the opportunity to ‘choose your own adventure’ when it comes to how dedicated your homage is. With that, here is a CSL-inspired improvement you can give the E46 M3 that allows you to have much of what the CSL offered in terms of performance without making sacrifices or spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for a BMW with no air conditioning.
The S54B32 found in all E46 M3s, not including the 3 GTRs was uniform except for the CSL-only carbon fiber intake. It’s impressive design allowed for a significant increase in airflow and decrease in restriction. This is part of the reason the CSL was able to put down a heartier HP figure than its more common brothers. More important than performance, though, was it's massive size and magnetic appeal under the hood. It was simply an attention-demanding piece of kit that gave off a motorsport vibe in all the right ways. Fortunately, you can have a Genuine BMW CSL Carbon Fiber Intake, as they are still available brand new from BMW. | | | | But what if you don’t want to pay thousands of dollars? As you’re likely aware by now, our expert in-house engineering team developed a version of the famous intake that we think perfectly captures the character of the original in terms of visual appeal, and incredibly, outperforms it in terms of airflow and horsepower improvements. Naturally, this upgrade does require a CSL Intake Software Tune, but for 20% more airflow than the stock CSL Intake, we think this is worth it.
Of course, the intake itself is just a start, as there were a unique front bumper, carbon dive planes, carbon fiber roof, rear deck lid, diffuser, and other touches that made the CSL stand out, but the most expensive and difficult to acquire piece is by far the intake. With our CSL-Style Carbon Fiber Intake, your M3 can benefit from the striking look, impressive sound, and performance improvement for a fraction of the cost. Though still not an inexpensive upgrade, it certainly brings the CSL styling most coveted by E46 M3 owners within reach and carries the performance name you know and love with Turner Motorsport in place of the BMW Motorsport graphics. | 
| | So, if you are interested in giving your E46 M3 some CSL-inspired improvements, your first step should be with the Turner Motorsport CSL-style carbon fiber intake. The only question remaining is: what’s next? Let us know if you want to see more Turner Motorsport CSL-inspired goodies by sending us an email or engaging with us on social media. Maybe you’ll find yourself in a future edition of Turner Motorsport Weekly. | | | | | 
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