German engineering meets Italian ego: the BMW M4 CS VR46 has arrived

BMW has a peculiar habit of occasionally building cars that are not merely machines but rather mechanical tributes to those whose blood is high-octane and whose religion consists of corners and redlines. And now, it has happened again. Valentino Rossi has turned 46. And BMW, never one to miss a good excuse for something mad and magnificent, built him a car to celebrate.

What they created is called the BMW M4 CS Edition VR46, and it is loud, bold and unapologetically egocentric. It is so brilliantly over the top that even the Italian sun might have to put on sunglasses. This is not just another M4. This is a handcrafted, limited-run piece of rolling theatre, offered in two versions, Sport and Style, with only 46 units of each. Because Il Dottore, the nine-time MotoGP world champion, has loved the number 46 longer than most people have loved their spouses.

And no, this is not one of those PR-driven sticker specials. Rossi himself took part in its creation, personally selecting the colours and design details with the same precision he used when diving into a rain-soaked corner at Mugello. The result is not just a car that howls with horsepower but one that carries personal legacy under its bonnet. It is a tribute to the number his father passed down and which he never gave up, not even when he was the reigning world champion.

BMW built this car the same way they hand champagne bottles to Formula 1 winners. With care, passion and a splash of drama. The M4 CS VR46 was assembled at BMW’s Dingolfing plant in Germany. Most M4s roll off the production line like sausages. These 46 editions, however, were treated to something extra. Paint was applied not only by machine but by hand. There was a human. There was a brush. There was paint.

Underneath the artistry is, of course, the raw beast that is the M4 CS. Which means that when you press the accelerator, this car launches like a furious bison let loose on a racetrack. Fuel consumption? Ten point two litres per hundred kilometres. CO₂ emissions? Two hundred and thirty-two grams per kilometre. But let’s be honest. No one buying this car cares. What matters is that every time you start the engine, you feel at least ten percent more like a world champion.