In an evo group test it lost out to a 911 GT3 (some things never change, eh?), and it didn’t fare all that well against a standard M3, either, barely any faster and still with sub-par brakes. ‘As it stands the CSL is neither fish nor fowl. Too compromised for general road use… but not uncompromising enough to excel on track, it would appear BMW has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory’ was the damning verdict in October 2003. Yet now it’s one of the most venerated M cars of all time. Go figure.