tommallett

In the late 1980’s there was an economic boom that saw special cars changing hands for huge sums of money. This hasn’t been repeated to the same extent but some cars produced in the last 20 years have become iconic.

Cars are produced in far larger numbers today than ever before. Even Ferrari churn out over 6000 cars per year, so for a car to reach iconic status it is often produced in limited numbers. I have also noticed that these cars tend to be fast lightweight versions of already competent models.

Over the next 5 weeks I will look at 5 cars from the last 20 years that I have experienced and fulfil these criteria.

Week 1: BMW E46 M3 CSL

The M3 CSL had a relatively slow start in life as a relatively high price tag hampered early sales. BMW asked £58,455 in 2003 for its lightweight M3 and to many this did not shout ‘value’.

The CSL came with only 17bhp more from the same 3246cc 6 cylinder engine but more importantly it weighs 130kg less than the standard car. It is this weight difference that made the lightweight version the classic that it has turned out to be.

Despite the relatively minor power hike the CSL feels significantly faster than a standard CS and it changes direction much faster than the standard car too. Even the SMG gearbox feels better in the CSL, in part due to its more aggressive nature.

The fact this is the last M3 to run with a 6 cylinder engine also counts in its favour. The CSL has thinner exhaust walls and an enormous air intake meaning the noise rises to a thrilling crescendo as you pile on the revs in a way that the latest limited run BMW (the 1m Coupe) cannot hope to achieve.

Despite its hard start in life the measure of the CSL is its value 8 years on. Today the very best CSL could cost nearly £50,000 to acquire and higher mileage, tracked cars with multiple owners still trading at over £30,000.