Latest news with #3.0CSL
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The Real Reason BMW's M2 CS Doesn't Have A Manual Box
The Real Reason BMW's M2 CS Doesn't Have A Manual Box originally appeared on Autoblog. The ultimate iteration of the current BMW M2 was unveiled last month, but something was missing. We're referring to the M2 CS, of course, which boasts more power and even beefier bodywork than the normal M2. Sadly, the CS is restricted to an eight-speed automatic transmission, with no manual option available as in the regular M2. It turns out that the boosted six-cylinder engine in the CS is simply too powerful for BMW's six-speed manual. View the 2 images of this gallery on the original article Whereas the standard M2 develops 473 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque from its 3.0-liter engine, the M2 CS dials that up to 523 hp and 479 lb-ft. At Le Mans last weekend, BMW Blog spoke to BMW M's head of R&D, Dirk Häcker, who confirmed that the manual gearbox can only handle up to 473 hp/405 lb-ft, while still being in line with the company's requirements. If BMW released the M2 CS with a manual, it would have had to reduce the engine's outputs to a point where it would not have been enough to justify the CS badge. It decided against going that route, which means the only alternative was the automatic. The larger M4 follows a similar recipe: In base 473-hp form, it has a manual, but the 503-hp M4 Competition only gets an automatic. It may not have a manual, but the M2 CS is so powerful that your focus is probably better spent on watching the road ahead than shifting gears. This compact coupe will hit 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and top out at 188 mph, its performance also aided by a weight reduction of nearly 100 limited and staggeringly expensive BMW 3.0 CSL conflicts Häcker's statement somewhat, as it has a six-speed manual yet produced 552 hp. There's a good reason for this, though. 'It's nearly the same one [gearbox used by the M2 and 3.0CSL],' said Häcker. 'The thing is, we have different requirements. I think everybody knows the 3.0 CSL is a very rare, exclusive car. It will not be driven every day. Also, not the mileage. So, we had a special commitment overall to use [the manual] there, but it's not an option for a track tool or something like that.' Interestingly, the 3.0 CSL is more powerful but less torquey (406 lb-ft) than the M2 CS, so it appears BMW even had to make some compromises in this 50-unit exotic to make it work as a manual. Ultimately, BMW M surely has the expertise to develop a brawnier manual 'box that can handle the M2 CS' outputs. After all, much more powerful cars like the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing (668 hp) and Lamborghini Murciélago (661 hp) have manuals. But developing an all-new manual for a low-volume car like the M2 CS may not have been worth the investment for BMW at this stage. Although the ultimate M2 misses out on a manual, BMW is still keeping the stick-shift alive where it can. Thanks to strong demand, the Z4 roadster manual is sticking around for longer than anticipated. Together with the M2, M3, and M4, there are still (almost) a handful of new manual BMWs to keep purists Real Reason BMW's M2 CS Doesn't Have A Manual Box first appeared on Autoblog on Jun 20, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Here's How A Sebring Win 50 Years Ago Set BMW And Bob Lutz Up For Success In America
In 1975 BMW was in an interesting position in the United States as it began launching BMW North America branded dealerships across the country for the first time. The vast majority of Americans still thought BMW stood for British Motor Works, the brand had been distributed through Max Hoffman for decades by this point, and the brand needed a revamp. Enter Maximum Bob Lutz, who had come onboard at BMW as executive vice president of sales, and was a strong advocate for BMW going all-in on racing. Instead of continuing to support privateers Schnitzer and Alpina, BMW would start its own motorsport division and bring its touring car-winning 3.0 CSL to the top of IMSA competition. An unwelcome engine issue ended the car's Daytona debut prematurely, but the second round of the championship at Sebring went very different for the BMW team with Alan Moffat, Brian Redman, Hans-Joachim Stuck, and Sam Posey taking the victory. That single event set the whole company off in the right direction in the U.S. "We knew how racing is for marketing the brand, and in Sebring we knew that we were competitive and able to do a good job... I think for us it was, let's say, a big moment to be sure. That we could successfully continue," BMW Motorsport head Jochen Neerpasch told Motorsport. "We did not win all the races, we did lose races, but we were competitive, and that was very important." Read more: IndyCar's $1 Million Exhibition Race At A Club Track Was A Ridiculous Attempt To Recreate The Worst Parts Of Formula 1 Bob Lutz only spent three years at BMW, but he had already earned a reputation for being the brash go-getter kind of executive who gets things done, and set the company on the path that would take it to where it is today. When Alpina developed a lightweight version of the company's large coupe, Lutz pushed the company to build the 1,000 homologation units needed to be eligible for Group 2 racing so that it could fight against the Ford Capri and Porsche 911 RSR on even ground, and later build a Group 4 racer with the silhouette "Batmobile" CSL. He made sure BMW picked up Neerpasch as competition director for the brand, stolen from Ford. It was also Lutz who was in charge of pushing BMW to develop its own distribution in North America. Lutz himself left for Ford in the middle of 1974, but the die was already cast and the chips were down. Within a week of each other, BMW concluded its legal dealings with Hoffman officially kicking off BMWNA, and won the 12 Hours of Sebring, both huge wins for the brand. The 1975 12 Hours of Sebring was a straight fight between Porsche and BMW for the win. With two cars from the factory M team in the race, BMW set the #24 car of Hans Stuck and Sam Posey out as a hare to run as fast as possible in order to push the leading Brumos Porsche to its breaking point, a strategy which worked, but also caused that BMW to fail in the process. The #25 car of Brian Redman and Alan Moffat, meanwhile, was intended to run a more steady pace to bring the car home and ideally take the win. Brian Redman apparently committed the largest share of the driving, putting in seven hours behind the wheel during the twelve-hour race. The remaining five hours were given to Moffat and, once their car exploded, Stuck and Posey sat in for stints as well. While the #25 struggled with alternator issues late in the race, the team of four ultimately went on to take the win by over three laps, with the rest of the podium made up of privateer Porsches. That feat was made all the more monumental by the fact that a full 16 Porsche 911 RSRs had entered the race that year. With the 2025 running of the 12 Hours of Sebring kicking off today, BMW is looking back on 50 years of success in North America under its own terms. BMW M is the foundation of BMW in the U.S. market, and this weekend the team is going for another overall victory. Bavarian Motor Works has just two overall victories at the long-running endurance event, taking its second in 1999 with the legendary BMW V12 LMR prototype. If the brand can find success this weekend, it would be a stellar cap on this 50th anniversary celebration, and a win in three completely different eras of international motorsport. Good luck specifically to the #25 car. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
