Next year is gearing up to be a special one for BMW’s M division. BMW M GmbH will mark its 50th anniversary in May, 2022, and new rumors suggest that there’s a special, limited production M4 on the horizon.

The lead comes from an alleged BMW insider on g80.bimmerpost. The user, who apparently has a good track record for new car info, suggests that the unnamed M4 special will be “configured like the CSL, but with a manual transmission.”

The forum member goes on to say that several options will be deleted, including comfort access, parking sensors, and electric seats. The absence of such would result in an M4 that’s even lighter than the already lightweight CSL, provided this special model is based on the upcoming CSL in the first place.

Although the production M4 CSL hasn’t yet been revealed to the public, our spies have spotted prototypes undergoing testing. These cars feature revised air intakes and grilles, as well as lightweight wheels, a more prominent lip spoiler, and a new diffuser.

Read: BMW Teases Next-Generation M4 GT4 Customer Race Car

As yet, powertrain details for the CSL have not been confirmed, although there have been reports that BMW may not offer a manual transmission. If that were the case, a limited, manual-equipped take on the CSL could prove to be the holy grail of BMW’s M4 line-up. The source also remarks that the new variant will be only produced for a few months, starting in November 2022, implying that production numbers will be kept low.

We already know that BMW M GmbH has big plans on the horizon for the upcoming year. Their 750hp plug-in hybrid SUV, the XM, is set to be in production before the end of 2022, and from January, customers will be able to order their cars with a roundel that harks back to the Motorsport division’s classic logo. If that weren’t enough, the new BMW M3 Touring would finally fulfill our M wagon dreams, and a series of 50 new M paint finishes will be made available. A special, ultra-limited edition of the M4 could just be the icing on the cake.

The new-gen BMW 2-Series has started shedding its camo, as it is expected to be unveiled before the end of the year. So, the new M2 shouldn’t be too far behind, right?

Well, if this rumor turns out to be correct, this won’t be the case as we won’t see the first production units on the road before early 2023.

Quoting undisclosed sources, BMWBlog reports that the new M2 will hit the assembly line in December 2022. By then, the upcoming 2-Series will be more than a year old.

Also Read: BMW M Reportedly Plotting 1,341 HP Electric iM2 For Their 50th Anniversary

The premium subcompact sports coupe will still be rear-wheel drive, unlike the 2-Series Gran Coupe that is built on a front-wheel drive biased platform. Nevertheless, an M-tuned xDrive all-wheel drive system might be introduced, like on the bigger M3 and M4.

The engine is understood to be shared with the latest M3 and M4 too, albeit with less power, possibly inn the region of 450 HP. In the M3/M4, the 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six unit pumps out 473 HP, while in the Competition models it is good for 503 HP, according to BMW. Which could be an understatement, as dyno tests have revealed that the mill is actually more powerful.

It is still too early to tell whether the new M2 will feature the huge kidney grille design of its larger brethren. However, from what we can tell by the spy images, although it’ll be larger than the current model’s, it won’t be as big as the one in the M3 and M4.