THE BMW M3 CSL (E46) is considered by many to be the best of all M3s made to date, almost the perfect M3 — almost… The only reason for criticism? Your SMG II semi-automatic transmission.
The BMW M3 CSL was launched in 2003, and although the SMG II was one of the most sophisticated transmissions at the time, the truth is that its answer was far from the refinement seen in all the rest of the machine — the leap that the transmissions made is impressive. automatics did, especially with the arrival of the double clutches.
No wonder that in many of the tests carried out at the time on the CSL or Coupé Sport Leichtbau — something like… light sports coupé — there were several calls for BMW to launch one with a manual gearbox. Something that never happened…
It was no deterrent for an owner to take on the risky challenge of converting their BMW M3 CSL into the sports car that everyone thinks it should have been right from the start. It was a goodbye to the SMG II, and a welcome to a new stick and a third pedal.
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It wasn't amateur work; the conversion was carried out by Darragh Doyle, who not only owns a company with the aptly name Everything M3s, but himself has a background in engineering and motor racing, so the job seemed to be in the right hands.
As the SMG II was a semi-automatic, at its base is a manual gearbox, with a clutch having an automatic action. The work done by Darragh Doyle was essentially to remove all the electrical and hydraulic components that controlled the clutch, returning to the analogical and purely mechanical nature of the gearbox.
There are two more changes. The first is the rear limited-slip differential with a shorter ratio — it went from 3.62:1 to 4.1:1 — it boosts acceleration and keeps the engine, according to the owner, in its ideal regime. The second was the installation of an AP Racing brake kit, with six pistons at the front and four at the rear — an area that the M3's until then were also criticized for.
Is the BMW M3 CSL “manual” better than the original?
This conversion is significant, not only because it is the special and rare car that it is, but also because it allows us to answer the question that all owners and fans wanted to know: is the BMW M3 CSL really better with a manual gearbox?Fortunately, we now have the answer through Carfection, with Henry Catchpole at the wheel of this intriguing CSL, and where can we find out more about this conversion:
It's on sale
Now, less than a month after this video test was published, this same copy is now on sale at Collecting Cars. This is an auction sale, with the auction ending in five days (the date of original publication of this article).
This BMW M3 CSL has a respectable almost 230 thousand kilometers on the odometer , but as we saw in the video, the fantastic S54 inline six-cylinder, with 3.2 l and naturally aspirated 360 hp, seems to be full of health. On the page dedicated to this issue, you will find all its history, highlighting the care taken with its correct maintenance.
At the time of publication of this article, the value for this BMW M3 CSL, with right-hand drive, was 31 thousand euros.
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