It certainly does. The factory claims that the M3 CSL will handily out-accelerate the standard M3 coupe (for reference, we recently clocked a 4.9-second run to 60 mph in an M3 with a standard six-speed gearbox). Top speed remains unchanged at 155 mph, unless you find a friendly electronics expert to remove the governor. Theoretically, fuel consumption should be three to five percent better. In reality, however, the CSL is so intoxicating, you're likely to be using more throttle more of the time, especially since the aural accompaniment is so sensational. The throaty intake rasp, the orchestral exhaust roar, and the high-pitched change of rhythm during upshifts are as memorable as a first kiss.
The chassis dynamics match the high-flying expectations. Taking weight out was a crucial first step, but speeding up the communication between car and driver--through modifications to chassis, steering, and brakes--was equally important. As good as the standard M3 brakes are, the CSL's bigger rotors (stolen from the M5 parts bin) are better. Calibrated at 2.7 turns from lock to lock, the steering is about five percent quicker than the regular M3's, and its on-center response is even sharper. The transmission engineers further reduced the SMG's already lightning-fast shift time. At its most aggressive setting, the SMG's gearchanges are now so brutally abrupt that the low-traction warning light flashes regularly during upshifts and downshifts on wet pavement. The stability control system itself also has been reprogrammed to cut in a little later and to act more progressively, but this artificial interference with the car's balance is actually more irritating than helpful.
To make the CSL more sure-footed and responsive, the engineers fitted a front strut brace and employed metal-on-metal suspension mounts to reduce play and compliance to an absolute minimum. Driving the CSL requires a more delicate touch than a standard M3. Too much lock can have a much more dramatic effect on the flight path than in the base M3, and too much throttle can kick the car off-line much more easily. This means the CSL is the perfect tool to sharpen your reflexes, to hone your skills, and to iron the kinks out of your driving style.
The third factor that was instrumental in creating the CSL was the tires. The M engineers selected Michelin Primacy Sports--235/35ZR-19s in front, 265/30ZR-19s at the rear. Because of the sparse asymmetric tread pattern, they may not be street-legal in all places, but on the Nrburgring, they were a revelation. Their behavior at the limit proved somewhat hairy in the rain, but as the track dried, they just got better and better. Apart from sensational grip, they give the CSL truly amazing directional stability and pleasantly benign breakaway behavior.
Before encountering this car, I was perfectly happy with the regular M3 in my garage, but now that I have tasted blood, I want the new coupe, and I want it bad. The CSL goes better, responds with greater spontaneity, and makes absolutely irresistible noises. BMW will offer the modified suspension only with the lightweight body, leaving me one option: to put my name on the waiting list and start saving money, preferably by cutting the food and drink bills. Which, come to think of it, is a pretty good way of improving one's own power-to-weight ratio.