BMW M4 CS V46 marks Valentino Rossi’s birthday
Seven time MotoGP World Champion and BMW works driver turns 46
When legendary motorcycle rider Valentino Rossi called time on his career on two wheels in 2021, he left behind a spectacular legacy of seven Moto GP World Championships, as well as world titles in 250cc and 125cc classes.
Having dabbled in four wheel racing throughout his career, the Italian turned his attention full time to cars, becoming a BMW M works driver in 2023 and getting behind the wheel of a BMW M4 GT3 for BMW M Team WRT. He has raced in the GT World Challenge Europe and the FIA World Endurance Championship, including appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
To celebrate his 46th birthday, BMW has given Rossi the perfect present - a BMW M4 CS V46 special edition. I say given in the metaphorical sense, as Rossi was involved in the design process for the entirety of the project, somewhat ruining the surprise of it all. Anyhow…
46 - The Special Number
For anyone else, turning 46 wouldn’t be met with any particularly special celebration. However, in the case of Valentino Rossi, the number 46 holds a special significance. The Italian used this number throughout his racing career after his father, Graziano Rossi - who also raced motorcycles - had done the same. Rossi even kept the number despite being eligible to use the number 1 after becoming world champion.
Valentino Rossi won 115 races across his Grand Prix motorcycling career, becoming a legend of motorsport all while wearing the number 46, which he later trademarked as VR46. In his honour, his hometown of Tavullia even reduced the speed limit from the usual 50 km/h to 46 km/h.
How many BMW M4 CS V46s will be made? 46, of course.
Engine and Chassis
The BMW M4 CS Edition VR46 is powered by a 3.0-litre, six‑cylinder in-line engine turbo engine putting out 550hp through an eight-speed transmission. As expected, it is rapid, accelerating at 0-62mph time of 3.4 seconds and eventually hitting a top speed of 187mph.
It has been configured to cope with the rigours of track use, including consistently high revs and flooring the accelerator, all helping to create a memorable soundtrack from the dual-branch exhaust system in the process.
The chassis for the new BMW M4 CS Edition VR46 has been tuned precisely to the performance characteristics of the engine, the overall vehicle concept and its weight distribution. Everything has been tailored to optimise steering precision, cornering, and wheel placement.
Two colours
BMW has come up with two individual paint finishes, which the German brand says “blend(s) perfectly with the many exposed carbon surfaces”, such as the indents in the bonnet. The colours used were favoured by Rossi, with the ‘Sport’ finish in Marina Bay Blue metallic and ‘Style’ in Frozen Tanzanite Blue metallic. Each finish has the number 46 in the opposite colour.
A splash of something different is seen with a little hint of bright yellow on the brake callipers, while the carbon fibre roof has a large yellow VR46 logo.
Interior
Inside, that same bright yellow is used to accent the predominantly Night blue interior, which consists of Merino leather upholstered carbon bucket seats.
BMW has gone for a three spoke design steering wheel in M Alcantara with yellow contrast stitching and a yellow centre marker. Each Rossi BMW will be verified by a ‘1/46’ badge on the carbon fibre centre console, denoting whether it is in the Sport or Style variant.
Customer perks
The 46 customers who purchase a BMW M4 CS V46 will enjoy a two day experience in Italy. The first day features a visit to the VR46 Motor Ranch in Tavullia, where they’ll get the chance to meet Valentino Rossi himself before heading to Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli the next day for a driving experience day with the latest BMW M models. As well as being his home circuit, the track holds special significance to Rossi, who won GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup races there both 2023 and 2024.
“Deeply rooted in its DNA as a BMW M”
Valentino Rossi commented on the special edition, saying: "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.”
words: Mike Booth
pictures: BMW (UK) Ltd