A lightened, rear-wheel drive BMW M3 CS with a manual transmission — what more could you want?
The sixth-generation BMW M3 has been a bit, well, contentious since it burst onto the scene six years ago. A lot of the animosity came down to the looks, but this was also the first M3 to bring all-wheel drive into the mix, albeit without the manual transmission that was a go-to for enthusiasts for decades. Now, as BMW prepares to send off the current M3 into that race track in the sky, you will finally be able to get a rear-wheel drive M3 CS with a row-your-own option. The literally named Handschalter effectively takes the M3 CS and puts it on a diet, by way of ditching the automatic, the all-wheel drive system and a host of other tweaks.
Now, you have (fortunately) been able to get the base M3 sedan with a manual transmission. This Handschalter gives you a more hardcore option, though, by bringing in the CS treatment that makes it some 75 pounds lighter than the standard car. On top of that, you can also spec this limited-edition version with carbon ceramic brakes, a titanium exhaust system and a lighter strut-tower brace to make it more of a track machine (BMW also offers track-focused tires for $600). Being a CS, you also get the M Carbon bucket seats as standard fare.
Unlike the automatic CS, though, the 2027 BMW M3 CS Handschalter makes do with the 473-horsepower version of the 3.0-liter S58 twin-turbo straight-six as the standard M3. By contrast, the auto-equipped model bumps that figure up by a whopping 70 horses to 543 horsepower. Even still, the manual-equipped, rear-wheel drive CS can hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph. So it’s still quick, but you are leaving a fair bit of power on the table taking the Handschalter.
Baked into the standard price (below) is a host of standard features including heated leather seats, keyless entry and a Harman Kardon stereo system. Options are always a thing with BMW, however, so you can still upgrade the car with the Daily Driver package (power trunk and head-up display) if you want. Four colors are available: Imola Red and Techno Violet for a wince-inducing $4,500 extra, or Isle of Man Green and Black Sapphire for no added cost.
The 2027 BMW M3 CS Handschalter will kick off production in July, before making it to eager enthusiasts in the fall. Pricing starts at $108,450, with “very limited” quantities actually coming up for sale. The automaker rarely discloses how many units it will actually make, but I do expect this to be a remarkably exclusive send-off for #savethemanuals die-hards.
