E46 M3 GTR Vs E46 M3 CSL

Basically i now little about rhe M3 CSL and a little less about the GTR. Does anyone in this forum have any technical information about these 2 cars how they compare. I am talking about the GTR road car here no the race car. If someone could post detailed specifications on both car for an ealy comparison it would be appreciated!...thanks in advance!

94 views but no posts?..what they hell?

On the outside you may not notice a huge difference in these cars... but the GTR is in a totally different class. First of all the GTR has a V8 in it... and were not talking the V8 that goes in the M5... this is a totally different engine. It has dry sump oil lubrication for one, something you will only find in the best race cars. Surprsingly, the CSL actually has more horsepower putting out a whomping 360 whp from just the I6 (that's a BMW Motor Sport Engine for yah... amazing!). Whereas the GTR puts out about 350 whp from that sweet V8... but, don't let this decieve you. This car can haul, and it only puts out 350 whp because BMW had to put major emissions on that car to make it streetable. I am sure that with a crew of guys who know what they are doing, 400+ whp can be reached from that MV8. The race version puts out about 444whp, but can honk 0-60 in just over 3 seconds. that is faster than most Ferarri's and Lambo's that are putting out 550+ whp. that is actaully the same as the Enzo... the million dollar car... hold onto your seat though, because their is a lot more that is different between these two cars, which are both sick by the way, and if you could get your hands on one, you would never go back.

Moving on, the CSL is basically a stock M3 that has been gutted of all luxury parts to make it substantially lighter. Then it also has some tweaking done to the stock M3 I6 that puts out around 333whp, to get it up to 360whp. The CSL, which I am sure you know has a Carbon Fiber roof, special glass-poly fibre composite seats, and even optional CD player for further weight reduction... ah heck, I could write pages about teh differences... if you really want to see the differences read the following two web sites and compare:

For the CSL:
http://www.bmwworld.com/models/m3_csl.htm
For the GTR:
http://www.bmwworld.com/weeklypics/20011020.htm
or
http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/cars/bmw_m3gtr.asp

These are both amazing cars, and I think they would be very tight in a race environment. The GTR is my dream car simply because it is rocking the Le Mans scene everywhere, but the CSL is really the true definition of a sports driving expereince for a street car... I could say a lot more, because these cars are truly mind blowing, but I don't want to bore you with my obsessions for these well built machines.

Hope this helps...

Josh

Wow can you buy the GTR here in america?

Well just like the CSL it is not available in teh U.S. Also like the CSL they are really a one time thing, meaning unlike the regualr M3 and all of BMW's other production models, you cannot be expecting for them to make any mroe soon. Both are available in Europe, and with a lot of work, I think that it may be possible to bring one in to the U.S., but it would be no drop in the bucket. I actaully called BMW of North America and asked if it were possible to special order a GTR, and they said no, of course... anywho, dude your car is tight. What does that Euro Beast Run on the quarter?

i doubt the csl actually puts out tha tmuch whp, prolly flywheel hp but not at the wheels. doesnt the gtr have an m5 engine?

The CSL does put out 350bhp at the wheels from the in-line engine used in the standard (standard?!) M3, thats why it is so amazing. Recently i have found that the GTR actualy has 20bhp mor then the CSL, to take it up to 380bhp!...in terms of weight do they weigh the same. I am talking about the street racing version here no the racer!

Maybe I might be able to add some insight to this. I will be taking delivery of a M3 CSL with a GTR type V8 engine (modified M5 dry sumped engine), putting out 455 hp at the wheels. Car is being further lightened with GTR carbon front hood, and rear trunk lid. Std CSL gearbox cannot cope, thus I will be using the M5 gearbox. Car has many other upgrades such as brakes, suspension etc. Will post pics and also impressions.

Maybe I might be able to add some insight to this. I will be taking delivery of a M3 CSL with a GTR type V8 engine (modified M5 dry sumped engine), putting out 455 hp at the wheels. Car is being further lightened with GTR carbon front hood, and rear trunk lid. Std CSL gearbox cannot cope, thus I will be using the M5 gearbox. Car has many other upgrades such as brakes, suspension etc. Will post pics and also impressions.

Sounds awesome, can't wait to see pics.

does the m3 gtr still use macpherson struts up front?

Maybe I might be able to add some insight to this. I will be taking delivery of a M3 CSL with a GTR type V8 engine (modified M5 dry sumped engine), putting out 455 hp at the wheels. Car is being further lightened with GTR carbon front hood, and rear trunk lid. Std CSL gearbox cannot cope, thus I will be using the M5 gearbox. Car has many other upgrades such as brakes, suspension etc. Will post pics and also impressions.

That is possible the most rediculous thing I have ever heard... I am over here crying with jealousy. Can I come take a ride in it with you... How did you pull that off? Is the car being delivered like, or did you get it before, and order it to be modified. I asked BMW USA if they could make a gtr, but they said no... Are you a professional racer or something?

If possible, please send me pics and some stories about it once you get to play around a bit... I jsut can't believe that you are actually going to be getting a car like that. How much did that put you out?

He posted once and hasn't returned, I call bs.

Is the engine bay of the E46 M3 even big enough to fit a V8? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the M3's engine an inline 6?

Is the engine bay of the E46 M3 even big enough to fit a V8? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the M3's engine an inline 6?

Actually it is. It has to be modified, but there are some guys in Georgia (I think) that did it. They did it back in like 2002. It is not an easy deal, but the V8 is really not that much longer than the I6 engine. It is jsut a bit bulkier, and the M3's have ample room width wise. Shoot, if I had a good $90,000 to invest into a M3, I would definetely look into the motor swap, but the right V8 would be hard to come by. You could put the V8 that was in the pre-2005 M5 in it, and that would be pretty sweet, but there would have to be a lot of supporting mods... anywho, enough on that.

GTR's rock!