Friday 23rd May

BMW reveals new M2 CS ahead of full debut

The technical details are due next week - for now, we've just got that enormous ducktail to get to grips with...

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The last BMW M2 CS didn’t arrive until 2020, at the very end of the F87’s time on sale. It came, it skidded, it won almost everybody over - and a follow-up seemed absolutely guaranteed. Not least because the M3 and M4 have now had back-to-back generations of CS in the modern era, all of which have been pretty damn great. 

Hopes will be high for this new M2 CS, then - arriving just a couple of years after the standard one - given what a giggle the last one was and how impressive the latest batch of CS M cars have been. There’s literally nothing confirmed for the moment, with tech specs to follow next week; there are just these Lake Como images to pore over. We’d expect a similar overhaul to that seen on the ostensibly more senior cars: a nominal weight saving, sticky Michelins, somewhere in the region of 500hp from the S58 six and a suspension overhaul to really make the most of it on road and track. There’ll probably be a spicy Nurburgring time coming, alongside a price nearing £100,000. You know the CS drill by now. 

Perhaps the bigger quandary will be whether the CS can retain a manual gearbox. It was possible with the old M2, and the standard car retains a six-speed option; this car could potentially be quite the sign-off for rear-wheel drive, three-pedal M cars. They’d be able to charge even more for it as the final manual, too. But that’s all to be confirmed next week. For now, we have this little ripper to look at, complete with a CSL-style bootlid sweep and a very serious set of seats. Plus what looks like an auto gearlever…

This is the real thing too, the actual G87 M2 CS, not some design study preview. So customer cars really will have a rear-end treatment this outrageous, the M3 CS-style wheels and punchy bodykit. Hopefully colours other than grey will be available. All will be revealed on May 27th...

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• BMW M2 CS vs. Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
  
• Audi RS6 Performance vs. BMW M3 CS

 

[Stark999]

Do you sacrifice looks over performance? This is a classic example of such a thing.

A car is meant to be gorgeous as well as amazing to drive.

This car certainly looks awful and I say this having a new M4 Competition. But also a DB12 Volante which is gorgeous and high performance

[je777]

Bravo on making it look even worse.
BMW can seemingly always manage this, however unlikely that might seem.
This M2 is much heavier than the previous edition, which was non-hideous. Why would you buy it?

[andrew]

that ducktail is coming soon a local debadged 320d

[AB]

Colour scheme does it no favours

[cerb4.5lee]

andrew said:

that ducktail is coming soon a local debadged 320d

I saw a 3 series badged up as a 340i this afternoon when clearly it wasn't, because it had the wrong exhaust set up! Why do it? None car people won't care, and car people will think you're a plonker!

[kambites]

It's certainly... challenging!

[OPC100]

I've actually grown to like the looks of these now. Always a sucker for a ducktail spoiler too. It looks like a beast.

Crap colour though. The purple one on the Autocar website looks better.

Crap gearbox too. Needs a manual.

[ChrisCh86]

Lol

The boys of Bradford will love these. For the rest of us it looks dreadful.

The general public will likely lap it up though just like the sea of G80 M4s and all the X4/X6s that seem to only be bought in black.

[essayer]

Offset high PCP monthlies running ads on the back, like a bus !

[el romeral]

At least it has the PH approved spec of silver wheels, no heavy rear tints and relatively small grilles. Not sure about some of the other boxy bits though.

[Deep Thought]

Wow. I thought they couldnt make the back of the M2 more ugly.

[Tango13]

In metallic white with motorsport graphics like the original 3.0CSL it might just look ok but in primer grey it looks pretty grim.

[Robertb]

I’m sort of reminded of the E30 M3 Evo… in a darker metallic it would look decent.

[NotSoSure]

Velvet Blue is the signature launch colour:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKAMlXIp7r1/

530HP & 650NM.

£92k plus £8.8k for CCBs.

[CG2020UK]

In person it really isn’t that bad (though certainly not looker).

Be keeping an eye on these releases for sure as a potential buyer.

[Benzinaio]

Cardboard boot floor anyone?
I actually think these look epic as I love box arches on anything.
And as Tango has alluded to, in white with gold wheels and some subtle (ish) 'M' stripes please.

[NotSoSure]

CG2020UK said:

In person it really isn’t that bad (though certainly not looker).

Be keeping an eye on these releases for sure as a potential buyer.

They are only bringing 100 to the UK.

Most of the allocation is already sold. If you don’t have your name down already, you’ll be lucky to find a dealer with a spare slot.

[NotSoSure]

Benzinaio said:

Cardboard boot floor anyone?
I actually think these look epic as I love box arches on anything.
And as Tango has alluded to, in white with gold wheels and some subtle (ish) 'M' stripes please.

No cardboard boot floor, but the boot lid is full carbon and exposed internally.

No white either, blue, grey, and black only.

[Chestrockwell]

People love a moan about these cars, it's a rinse and repeat, happend with the F8x M3/4, happened with the G8x and so on

Next generation, the same people who hated this will say the new one is awful and the older one was better

I think the colour scheme and pictures do make it look challenging however I have no doubt that I'd be drooling over one when I see it in the flesh

[cerb4.5lee]

Chestrockwell said:

People love a moan about these cars, it's a rinse and repeat, happend with the F8x M3/4, happened with the G8x and so on

Next generation, the same people who hated this will say the new one is awful and the older one was better

I think the colour scheme and pictures do make it look challenging however I have no doubt that I'd be drooling over one when I see it in the flesh

They are a bit colour sensitive(much like the G8x M3/4 as well) I think, but I don't mind the way they look in the darker colours though. I like their butchness if you know what I mean?