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csi helps the BMW M5 CS to reach top form

Boxers and other martial artists swear by dehydration to "hit their weight" just before a competition. dehydration forces their trained bodies into a lower weight class so that they encounter supposedly weaker opponents.

The new BMW M5 CS is 70 kg lighter on the scales than the standard model thanks to its innovative carbon fibre-reinforced plastic components. This makes it lighter, but also more than prepared to take on any competition. Because unlike athletes, the most powerful BMW series ever hasn’t lost any power or substance during this process – in fact, quite the opposite. The Munich csi team was one of its key trainers, and gave the latest BMW M GmbH model its showpiece shape. In record time.

 

READY FOR THE RING!

Considerably lighter, yet with more horsepower and so another three tenths of a second faster from 0 to 100 km/h – put simply, that’s what the M5 CS brings to the table. That’s also what it has to play with on the racetrack – say on the north loop of the Hockenheimring. The driver benefit from the fact that everything in or on it is designed for maximum racing fun lap after lap, guaranteed.

 

READY FOR THE NEXT MOVE.

The fact that it is not designed as a plaything, but rather for serious driving and winning race is obvious from a first look at the M5’s hardcore sibling. The Munich csi team once again played a key role in its well-defined muscles, that is its striking exterior. The team under Marco Zengerle, csi Team Leader for exterior and lightweight construction in Munich, has been involved in many BMW M projects for over 11 years. The team has enjoyed such great success that the orders have become ever-larger over time and csi has been handed more and more responsibility. When the team received the enquiry about design and component responsibility for the M5 CS in October 2018, it was ready. And thanks to its experience acquired over many years in developing and implementing BMW M projects, it was also ideally equipped to fulfil the customer's exacting requests within the shortest possible time.

 

TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND KNUCKLE DOWN.

"We considered bronze gold for the aerodynamically and functionally key components, such as the CFRP front splitter, the CFRP rear diffuser and the CFRP rear spoiler, as well as a CFRP bonnet with air vents and various decorative trim elements," explains Tobias Zollner, the csi Project Manager responsible for the project in Munich, explaining the extent of the contract. These are the parts that ensure that the BMW M5 CS unleashes its full power on the road and does not lift up even at its top speed of 305 km/h.

"It was the same for our team. We also had to stay on track with the development despite the massive time pressure and the odd annoyance – I mean technical challenge," continues Tobias Zollner, remembering the peak phase of the demanding project. "To maintain the fast speed, we relied on Simultaneous Engineering (SE) in the team – as is so often the case. We worked on different tasks and their solutions in parallel and managed to bring the project safely across the finish line despite the shortened development time."

 

RICH PICKINGS FOR DESIGN FANS.

A special feature of the project was the weight reduction requested by BMW M GmbH, which also involved the exterior.

"The design of our innovative CFRP components coupled with weight reduction through targeted minimisation of acoustic insulation enabled us to ultimately shed several kilograms and contribute to the required weight reduction.

We don’t know whether the members of the csi Munich team also lost weight during the – at times – stressful project or if comfort eating when working on the spoilers piled on the pounds. But we do know that our colleagues in Munich are already working on the next white-blue project. We are certain it will be another great success. Functional, on schedule and, above all, visually on point. We are excited to see the result!

From l to r Tobias Zollner, Andreas Gollwitzer and Dominik Schwarz


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