Even though the Philippines is far from the biggest market of the BMW M division, it’s great to see that the local distributors give us some of the hottest M cars around. On the same day the all-new 420i Gran Coupe and first-ever XM were released, BMW Philippines also rolled out what’s likely to become one of the rarest cars on the road.
That model is the BMW M3 CS, and we’re actually lucky to get a handful of units here. That’s because the rumor mill suggests that BMW will only produce 2,000 units of this hardcore M3 for the global market. That fact that the Philippines was given an allocation is a huge deal in itself. Of course, there’s the rarer M3 50 Jahre (50 years) edition that’s limited to just 500 units, but that’s not sold here and, as far as we know, also sold out.
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But what makes the M3 CS a huge deal aside from the limited production? The M3 CS is no stickered-up special. It’s a true re-engineered M car from the ground up with upgrades under the hood, chassis, and helpful lashings of carbon fiber everywhere.
BMW M freed up more horses from the M3 Competition’s 3.0-liter, twin-turbo straight six and stuck it in the M3 CS. The result is 550hp and 650Nm of torque for this limited-run model, a gain of 40hp. That extra power helps this hot sedan do the 0 to 100kph sprint in just 3.4 seconds. Some independent tests have bested BMW’s claim, with others measuring as low as 3.2 seconds. It also helps that the M3 CS has a tuned all-wheel drive system to make the most out of its horsepower gains.
The M3 CS also went on a diet to shake off some kilograms. Aside from the carbon fiber roof, the CS uses this material for the hood, front splitter, front air intakes, exterior mirror caps, rear diffuser and rear spoiler. There’s also less sound deadening and more carbon bits inside to give it a weight saving of 34 kg. Okay, it’s not a crash diet, but every kilo counts if you’re chasing lap times.
And for those brave enough to bring it to the track and not just turn it into a garage ornament, they will be pleased to know that the CS has an upgraded cooling system to cope with the demands of track use. There’s also individually tuned axle kinematics and bespoke wheel camber settings, dampers, auxiliary springs and anti-roll bars to make it even faster around the bends.
The most hardcore M3 sold in the country to date also has a commanding asking price. At P16,890,000, the M3 CS is a whopping P7,200,000 more than the M3 Competition (P9,690,000).
