Got A Crore or two burning a hole in your fireproof racing suit? Want a turnkey race car but still need to convince your significant other it’s “basically just a BMW coupe”? Good news: BMW has just the thing — the M2 Racing.
Now, if you’re thinking, “Wait, the M2? Like, the cute street one?” — yes, but make it hardcore. It’s a riot — smaller, sharper, and packing a 453–473-hp twin-turbo inline-six nicked from the bigger M3 and M4. A real pocket rocket.
But forget all that, because the M2 Racing is a different animal. BMW ripped out most of the interior — adios, comfy seats and infotainment screen — and installed a fire suppression system, a roll cage, a race-ready dashboard, and all the other track goodies you pretend to know about when you hang out near pit lanes.
Oh, and they ripped out the engine too.*Record scratch.*
Instead of the meaty S58 six-cylinder from the street M2, the M2 Racing gets… a four-cylinder. Cue the anguished howls of the internet comment sections.
But before you clutch your pearls, remember: BMW’s iconic first M3 — the E30 — had a four-banger too. Inline-sixes didn’t crash the party until the ‘90s, and the E90 M3 even showed up with a V8. Moral of the story: BMW’s M division is like jazz — it’s about the vibe, not the cylinder count.
The M2 Racing’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, from the B48 engine family, churns out a healthy 313 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. It’s bolted to the same ZF 8-speed auto you get in the road car, shoving power through a mechanical locking diff. And because it’s about 3,300 pounds — several hundred pounds lighter than the street M2 — it still hauls serious ass. No, it won’t outrun the street car in a drag race, but it’ll crush it lap after lap without cooking itself or its brakes.
Speaking of which: BMW M Motorsport added serious upgrades like race-tuned brakes, a front splitter, carbon roof, quick-release hood and trunk, 18-inch forged wheels, and KW adjustable shocks. There’s also a pit speed limiter because speeding down pit lane is frowned upon (ask us how we know). Every M2 Racing ships in basic Alpine White, just waiting for you to slap on your sponsor decals or ironic ‘Nürburgring Taxi’ stickers.
Optional extras? You bet: passenger seat (for a terrified friend), air jack system (because crawling under the car in the pits is lame), a ballast box (because maybe you want to be slower for some reason?), a massive rear wing, and Sabelt race seats. Not on the options list: the six-cylinder engine. If you want two more cylinders, you’re better off buying a regular M2 and spending ungodly amounts of money trying to build your own race car. Spoiler alert: you won’t do it for less.
Instead, just call up BMW M Motorsport and order one of these little monsters. It’s easier, faster, and way cooler than showing up to track day with another boring Miata.
