M4 CS Edition VR46 celebrates the 46th birthday of motorcycle champ and BMW M works driver Valentino Rossi
- BMW’s is marking Valentino Rossi’s birthday with the M4 CS Edition VR46.
- The VR46 Sport and Style get different paint and are limited to 46 units each.
- Owners also get to meet Rossi at his home and drive the M lineup on track.
Turning 46 wouldn’t normally call for a special celebration. It’s just another stage in that middle bit between thinking you’re still young and panicking about getting old. But when you’re a nine-time motorcycle champ and BMW M works driver who has spent an entire career racing under the number 46, your 46th birthday becomes on occasion worth marking. And to do just that BMW built Valentino Rossi his very own M4, one you can own, too.
The M4 CS Edition VR46 is a run of special edition M4 CS coupes that comes in two forms, VR46 Sport and VR46 Style. Production was limited to, you guessed it, 46 units of each, the cars having already rolled down the Dingolfing line between February and May. And BMW just dropped a video showing how the special paint and graphics package of each car was created by the crack team behind the 3.0 CSL.
Related: BMW M4 CS VR46 Is A Valentino Rossi Special Costing $155k
Sport versions are finished in in Marina Bay Blue metallic with huge “46” graphics in Tanzanite Blue metallic, with yellow accents on the BMW M kidney grille, brake calipers and forged wheels adding some bright relief.
Go for the Style variant and the colors are flipped. Now the body is coated with frozen Tanzanite Blue and the “46” is picked out in Frozen Marina Bay Blue metallic, again set off against yellow highlights. Both cars get Rossi’s signature and VR46 logo on the carbon roof.
The special paintwork and graphics were applied by a team working in a separate area in BMW‘s Dingolfing plant away from the main M4 line. After getting their hands on a partly finished stock CS, the crew sanded down the paint to improve adhesion of the coming layers, applied giant stencils to allow the addition of the 46 numbers and the yellow details. Each VR46 required 20 hours in the paintshop before returning to the production line for final coat of clear lacquer and installation of the roof.
The 542 hp (550 PS) 3.0-liter inline six is a stock M4 CS item but the interior gets more yellow and blue accents, VR46 logos and “1/46” plaque on the carbon console. The real draw for Rossi’s most obsessive fans, however, is the chance to meet the man himself at his VR46 Motor Ranch home in Italy before enjoying a BMW M Driving Experience with current BMW M models at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
