BMW M3 CSL

While the ultimate 3-Series has the top speed restricted electronically, the firm will remove it if you can prove you have track experience. Without this electronic nanny, the CSL will top 170mph.
Built to try to provide the kind of motorsport-honed thrills offered by the original M3, the CSL has been stripped of unnecessary kit, the body panels replaced by plastic items and the engine tweaked to give an additional 17bhp.

The 19-inch alloys wear massive Michelin Pilot Sport tyres, which are half way between road and race rubber. Each car actually comes with a warning, telling the driver to take extra care in the rain because the Pilot Sport is designed primarily for dry use.

But with fine weather and a track at our disposal, the M3 was in its element. Climb into the bucket seats, grab the suede steering wheel and slam the carbon-panelled door, and the CSL already seems special. Start the engine and the race feel is complete - it burbles like a touring car sitting in the pits.

Flick the stubby gearlever to the right and the SMG sequential gearbox defaults in auto mode. The first touch of the paddles behind the steering wheel gives the driver control of the changes, though, and the M3 leaps forward. Slot into second, floor the throttle and the engine howls as the special filter housing squeezes air in and a modified exhaust pushes gases out urgently.

But it gets better still. At 6,500rpm, the six-cylinder unit switches to gain an even wilder sound and more performance. Peak power isn't actually achieved until 7,900rpm, a level which would see the majority of engines explode.

In corners, the power, stiff ride and race-car stance mean it's easy to be intimidated by the CSL, but all the usual stability control systems are here, plus a new gadget which allows you to play with the handling in relative safety. Called Track Mode, this device will let the BMW slide, but if it all looks like going wrong, the car's electronics do their best to sort it out.

It's just as well because, on the limit, the CSL is tricky to control. The rear end breaks away quickly and, although the faster-geared steering helps you catch the slide, the lack of feedback means you don't know what's going on between tyres and tarmac. With all that grip and power, the limit tends to arrive at higher speeds than you'd intend, too. Perhaps this car is best left to race drivers after all.