Top Cars

Lighter means faster. If you have yet to grasp that concept, have a look at the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera or Porsche 911 GT3 RS – each capable of leaving the heavier versions of each lightning-quick sportscar on which they're based in the dust. The performance gap is widened not by more power, but by a higher power-to-weight ratio resulting from an aggressive kilo-trimming program. Another in their ranks: the gone-but-not-forgotten, previous-generation BMW M3 CSL. By removing a bit of excess weight, the CSL was capable of outgunning its heavier counterpart by a considerable margin (how does a 7:22.8 'Ring lap sound?).

It's been just under a year since M-guru Gerhard Richter promised us a new M3 CSL based on the new V8 model, but aside from a few spy shots here and there, we've yet to see one materialize so far. To keep our appetites whet, German car mag Autozeitung put out this rendering of what the new CSL could look like, complete with carbon-fiber hood, a more aggressive front bumper and some new vents. Close enough to the mark? We'll just have to wait and see.