New M3 CS Handschalter is manual G80 sendoff
Been pining for three pedals and rear-wheel drive in your M3 CS? Look away now...
In case we needed further evidence that North America provides the last bastion for manual gearbox enthusiasts, BMW has unveiled the rear-drive M3 CS Handschalter - reportedly the only CS that will ever be offered with a six-speed, do-it-yourself transmission. It is intended as a run-out special edition to mark the end (or beginning of the end) of G80 production, as BMW continues to prepare the ground for its hybridised and battery-powered replacement. It will cost from 107,100 dollars, or around £80k.
Much as with 2024's Z4 Handschalter, the laser focus is on the kind of enthusiast not only happy to do away with the option of snappier paddle shifts, but also xDrive usability. Certainly very few people have complained about the latter in the M3 (given its obvious rear bias), though anyone within the targeted niche will know that this is about as close to the purity of a CSL that the M3 G80 is ever likely to get.
To that end, BMW has targeted some fairly significant weight loss. If you buy your Handschalter fully kitted, you’ll be saving 34kg versus a regular manual. As you might expect, an increased use of CFRP has made its mark - the roof panel, hood, front splitter, front air intakes, exterior mirror caps, rear diffuser, and rear spoiler are all composite - not to mention the centre console and the now standard M Carbon bucket seats.
You also get a titanium rear silencer, which means buyers are looking at around a 19kg saving out of the gate - although they can subtract an additional 14kg by selecting the M Carbon Ceramic brakes, an option you’d imagine most will take up. Ditto the cast aluminium M Front Strut Brace; yes, for the usual benefits of bridging the gap between the strut towers, but also because it looks terrific.
Looking good, as ever, is part of the whole point: the CS design cues are mostly carried over, meaning everyone is going to notice the beefier front splitter, air intakes, side skirts and rear spoiler. Elsewhere, items like the frameless kidney grille and DRLs that illuminate in yellow rather than white during the unlock sequence, are plainly meant to appeal to BMW superfans - as is the choice of Imola Red and Techno Violet metallic on the option list. Only Isle of Man Green and Black Sapphire metallic are offered free of charge.
Deeper alterations have been made to the chassis, where BMW has not only lowered the Handschalter by 6mm onto new springs and dampers (the latter shared with the M4 CSL), but also retuned the axle kinematics and wheel camber to better suit the ‘unique performance characteristics’ of the manual drivetrain and the model’s new weight distribution. The forged 19-/20-inch alloy wheels (Style 927M) are standard, and available in either Gold Bronze or black with a choice of tyres, including ‘ultra track’ rubber for 600 dollars.
As you might expect, the emphasis is on handling purity rather than outright power: the Handschalter sticks with 473hp and 406lb ft of torque in output terms, which ought to make for 0-60mph in 4.1 seconds (by way of comparison, the 550hp M4 CSL will get you to 62mph in 3.7 seconds). But the pleasure here is working your way through the transmission manually, and delving deeper into the delights of BMW’s ten-stage M Traction Control and its associated M Drift Analyser.
The manufacturer does not make plain how many examples of the Handschalter it will actually build; suffice it to say we’re talking about ‘very limited numbers’ when production kicks off in July. Might it have sold a very limited number in the UK? Almost certainly yes, but apparently that three-pedal ship sailed many moons ago. Instead, the model will remain exclusive to North America, with deliveries pencilled in for the autumn. So expect to see one advertised here, at nowhere near its RRP, before the end of the year. Maybe don't fork out £138k for a CS Touring just yet, eh...
Now they really are the last market that gets the manual versions of enthusiast cars and good on them.
I still prefer a manual gear change in an enthusiast car and that interaction, even at the expense of slower (but far more satisfying) and the occasional sub-optimal gear changes.
I would be more interested in a RWD M3 with the 8HP box and CS treatment, but arguably that's the M2 CS....
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