Pausing our 2023 IAA Munich coverage, we dash 260 miles to Nürburgring. Ready for a thrilling M3 CS lap video? Jörg Weidinger, M division’s ace engineer, helmed four beasts at the Green Hell in April: the super sedan, M2, M4 CSL, and the awaited M4 CS.
Remember the M4 CSL? It smashed last year, setting a mid-class record. The G87, too, clinched a record for compact-class production cars. The M4 CS clocked even swifter, but its exact lap time remains under wraps. Meanwhile, the M3 CS wowed, hitting a whopping 300 km/h (186 mph), and breezed past the new M2 by roughly 10 seconds.
The M3 CS covered the 20.8-kilometre (12.9-mile) track in 7 minutes and 28.760 seconds. That’s versus the sport sedan’s swift 7 minutes and 23.975 seconds on the 20.6-kilometre (12.8-mile) stretch. Yet, it didn’t surpass the reigning sedan record. The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 still wears the four-door crown.
The M3 CS edges out the M5 CS in speed, though BMW didn’t oversee the latter’s hot lap. That was Christian Gebhardt of Sport Auto’s feat. With the next-gen model due only in 2024, an official M division Nurburgring lap for the M5 CS seems unlikely.
As for the new M5 G90? Its switch to a plug-in hybrid may add weight, potentially affecting its ‘Ring speed versus the F90. But for the M3 G80? It’s here till mid-2027, offering BMW ample time for tweaks and enhancements.