It slips the clutch as you set off. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but everytime I set off in the CSL I drove, I cringed.

 

Ask the guy sat at the side of the road near the ring what he thinks of the SMG box, it's not the first one i've seen/heard of either

 

Maybe you don't drive it quite like Chilled

 

Probably not, my engine only just reaches full temperature just as I arrive at work.

 

Reality

Just imagine the cost of running a CSL for 10+ track days a year. EVO don't tell you about that side of things.

Pick one up for £25k and live happily ever after thrashing it round the ring every other weekend. Bollocks

SMG really does seem to divide opinion.

I've made a point of ignoring the purists and journalists as it's not what the purchase is about for me, it's about trying something new.

If I was intending to do a lot of track days in it I may have reconsidered but is there anything other than anecdotal evidence that SMG is not up to heavy use?

Do any CSL owners "downgrade" to manual or upgrade to a Drenth or similar?

 

I loved the noise of the E46 engine too, and the diff made its hooligan factor huge. I was always pissed off that the cruise control didnt work over 155 though !

 

Was watching the CSL Cup on MotorsTV the other day. They were having trouble off the line too ...

 

Yeah, my friend Steve Gill in the Team Schirmer CSL fluffed his start (has a sequential box in it) and was driven into by someone else.

 

Do they use the standard SMG box in that series?

 

Depends. There are standard SMGII cars and there are full race sequential boxes.