BMW M4 CS Edition VR46 celebrates Valentino Rossi’s 46th birthday – buy one to meet him at his home
The legendary Valentino Rossi, who competed with #46 his entire career, turns 46 this year. To celebrate the occasion, BMW is presenting the nine-time motorcycle world champion with a special version of the M4 CS.
Following his retirement from MotoGP after the 2021 season, Rossi committed to car racing and attended multiple tests in Formula 1 race cars as well as making guest appearances in rallies and endurance races. Since 2023, he has been a BMW M works driver and currently drives a M4 GT3 for BMW M Team WRT in the GT World Challenge Europe and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Getting back to the car, the new M4 CS Edition VR46 received direct input from ‘The Doctor’ and will be built in limited run of 46 cars. BMW is offering two distinctive design variants called the Sport and Style, with both receiving a host of changes to stand out from a regular M4 CS.
These include colour schemes that are inspired by Rossi’s preferred tones and expressive visual style, which sees the use of two exclusive BMW Individual paint finishes. On the Sport, the car is painted in Marina Bay Blue metallic, while both sides of the car display a large ‘46’ in the darker Tanzanite Blue metallic.
The Style gets a matte Frozen Tanzanite Blue metallic and ‘46’ in Frozen Marina Bay Blue metallic on the sides. The world-famous number is not only featured on the doors but also the roof (along with Rossi’s signature), with these components being made out of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP).
In keeping with the theme, the kidney grille outline and one of the V spokes in the forged M light-alloy wheels – indicates the position of the tyre valve on race cars – are painted in bright yellow. This hue is also applied on the M brake callipers and an accent strip over the door frames of the Sport variant. Around back, the tailgate features ‘VR46’ lettering.
Inside the cabin, which is predominantly Night Blue, are M Carbon bucket seats trimmed in Black/Night Blue Merino leather, but with Sao Paulo Yellow on the Alcantara shoulder area for contrast. The head restraints and door sill trims also feature a ‘VR46’ logo, while more splashes of yellow are seen on the Alcantara steering wheel. Each M4 CS Edition VR46 comes with a badge stating ‘1/46’ on the carbon-fibre centre console.
Mechanically, the M4 CS Edition VR46 is pretty much unchanged and continues to employ a 3.0 litre twin-turbo straight-six petrol engine gets a higher boost pressure of 2.1 bar to now produce 550 PS (543 hp or 405 kW) and 650 Nm of torque. Paired with an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission and M xDrive all-wheel drive system, the 0-100 km/h time is 3.4 seconds and the top speed (with the standard M Driver’s Package) is 302 km/h.
Buying a M4 CS Edition VR46 nets you further perks beyond owning a car that ‘The Doctor’ had a hand in designing. This includes a very special two-day experience in Italy, with day one featuring a visit to the VR46 Motor Ranch in Tavullia for a barbecue and a chat with Rossi himself. On day two, you will head to the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for a special BMW M Driving Experience with the latest BMW M models.
“There is no other brand that has motorsport so deeply rooted in its DNA as BMW M. I am proud to be a BMW M works driver, and to share this passion. The fact that there is now a special VR46 edition, in which I was involved from the very beginning of the design process, makes me proud. When I see the BMW M4 CS Edition VR46 out on the road or on the race track later, it will be very cool,” said Rossi.
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