The Three-Pedal, RWD BMW M3 CS Handschalter is Sweet Forbidden Fruit

How time flies. It seems like only yesterday that every corner of the automotive internet was ablaze with furious debate around the beaver-toothed face of the sixth-generation G80 BMW M3, but it was in fact nearly six years ago. That means that time’s nearly up for the G80, and to send it off, BMW has rolled out the M3 CS Handschalter, the most driver-focused iteration yet – but there’s a rather big catch if you live outside North America.

If you’re familiar with BMW parlance, you’ll recognise the Handschalter badge from when it first appeared on the Z4 M40i a couple of years ago. It may sound like it means something slightly dirty, but it literally translates to ‘manual switch’, a slightly clunky way of signifying that this car has a manual gearbox. That’s nothing new for the G80 M3, at least in some markets – while Europe’s only ever been able to get the car in auto-only Competition guise, other parts of the world receive a less powerful base model with a six-speed H-pattern as the only gearbox option.

Equally, CS should be ringing bells for the Beemer faithful – it signifies a lighter, more hardcore, more powerful and often limited-run version of an M car. The G80 M3 CS, which we’ve been treated to in both saloon and Touring form, packed all-wheel drive, 523bhp and 20kg of weight savings thanks to various carbon bits.

As you’d imagine, then, the M3 CS Handschalter combines these two packages – but all is not as it seems. Presumably because it’s the most the manual can cope with, it gets the same powertrain as that base model manual M3, meaning its 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six is making ‘just’ 473bhp and 406lb ft, as opposed to the 523bhp and 479lb ft you got in the automatic CS. The tradeoff, though, is that the Handschalter is rear-wheel drive only.

That means that combined with the already lighter base car, the further 34kg saved by the smattering of carbon fibre, forged aluminium wheels, titanium exhaust, carbon bucket seats and (optional) carbon ceramic brakes, makes this the lightest G80 M3 yet – although at around 1,746kg, it’s still no lightweight.

BMW says it’ll hit 60mph in 4.1 seconds – the same as the standard manual M3 – and, with the box for the M Driver’s Package ticked to ditch the 155mph limiter, top out at 180mph. It also gets a Handschalter-specific tune for the power steering and chassis, engine and gearbox electrics, as well as the same suspension tweaks the all-wheel drive CS got. The visual changes are carried over too, with the addition of two available BMW Individual heritage colours, Imola Red and Techno Violet.

All sounds rather lovely, and a fitting send off, especially as it’ll quite possibly be the last ever manual M3. Unless you live in North America, though, that particular ship has already sailed – the M3 CS Handschalter will be limited to that market. Set to be produced in ‘very limited numbers’, it’ll cost from $107,100, or around £80,000.