From the February/March 2023 problem of Vehicle and Driver.
Lap Time: 2:47.5
Course: LL4 | Foundation: $140,895 | As-Analyzed: $145,395
Electric power and Pounds: 543 hp • 3580 lb • 6.6 lb/hp
Tires: Michelin Pilot Activity Cup 2 R F: 275/35ZR-19 (100Y), R: 285/30ZR-20 (99Y)
Judged by the numbers, the BMW M4 CSL’s 2:47.5 lap impresses. It is the fastest BMW we have analyzed at VIR, with the CSL outperforming the 627-hp BMW M5 CS and the track-centered M4 GTS that preceded it.
The 543-hp twin-turbocharged 3.-liter inline-six is a ripper in this lightened M4. Stripped of rear seats and sound-deadening materials, and with much more braces than a center-school dance, this German muscle mass vehicle weighs 3613 lbs . and runs 158.8 mph on the Entrance Straight—we suspect this motor can make far more electric power than advertised. A 760-hp Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 arrived at 161.9 mph with a 5.4-pound-for each-hp ratio to the M4’s 6.6.
Corralling all those people ponies involves obtaining comfy with the machine. You want a worn-in-Levi’s truly feel, not that of a contemporary pair of Wranglers. We by no means absolutely settled in, but that is not fully the car’s fault. A bolt punctured a rear tire right before we started off lapping, and we misplaced 50 % a working day of familiarization. The CSL is so new that finding a alternative BMW-spec Michelin Pilot Cup 2 R tire proved difficult, leaving us with three new tires and 1 somewhat worn just one for the closing early morning.
Additional Lightning Lap 2023 Contenders
Even on the new tires, important steering comments remained distant and not able to report the distress of the tires when cornering, giving very little perception of the restrict through the wheel. The lateral grip is obviously felt by way of the carbon-fiber seat that holds like a bench vise, while the preset buckets give tiny adjustability. Changing the seat angle needs unbolting it from the flooring, anything we did not have time to do. As a result, our Simpson Hybrid S neck restraint pressed in opposition to the seatback, earning the driver hunch awkwardly. As with the SL, the driving situation listed here still left us asking yourself what we could’ve completed with a bit additional comfort and ease.
Again to Lightning Lap 2023