Today

BMW M2 | PH Auction Block

Want a new track car for 2026? Here's just the thing

---

There are plenty of us who dream of building some kind of track car. Call it a clubsport, call it a road racer, call it circuit spec, it’s all broadly the same thing: make a standard performance car better suited to use on a track, without totally abandoning its road usability. It’s a popular idea because the end result should be a best of both worlds scenario: a car that works nicely on both Hanger Lane and the Hangar Straight, something that you’re happy to drive both to and from the circuit. Towing a Caterham with a Range Rover isn’t always a viable option, see. 

All that being said, and however desirable a road-legal track car sounds, we all know why plenty of plans don’t get off the ground. For starters, the amount of track days we want to attend is often very different to the number we’re actually available for. Why bother modifying a car for two afternoons a year at Bedford? Plus there’s no escaping the fact that it takes an awful lot of time and money to really prep a car for circuit, both of which aren’t exactly easy to come by...

The solution, then, is something like this very smart BMW M2, where you take advantage of someone else’s significant spend and buy a Clubsport-style car that’s ready to roll. Opportunities to buy such a car really don’t come up very often, because people tend to want to make the most of their investment. But here we have an M2 with everything you’d want changed for a track spec build, all completed in the past year, just one or two tweaks away from whatever 2026 has in store. Tempting, right? 

And when we see everything has been done, everything has been done: the M2 now has a cage, three-way adjustable suspension, AP Racing brakes, Recaro bucket seats with Schroth harness, a CAE shifter, lighter wheels, stickier tyres, new arms, new bushes, an extinguisher… the list goes on and on. In total, more than £30,000 has been spent on this M2 at Corten Miller in Boston to make it into the car you see here. All it’s said to need now are some new discs - the perfect opportunity to upgrade further, you might say… 

Just as importantly, the useful bits of being a modern M car haven’t been jettisoned in the overhaul. There’s still air con, iDrive and interior storage, unlike some factory BMW specials that, maddeningly, do away with cupholders or useful door cards. There’d be absolutely nothing to stop you using this M2 every single day, adding to its modest 32k tally however you saw fit. 

Then, with a spare weekend or weekday evening when the weather warms up, it promises to be an absolute blast. The standard M2 was always good fun on circuit, if sometimes a tad lairy for its own good. This promises all the joy of a front-engined, rear-drive, manual M car, with just a bit more stamina and discipline thrown into the mix. Which sounds pretty damn good to us. Bidding kicks off on Thursday, meaning the auction will end on the 29th, so that’s January done; February always goes in a flash, then it’ll be March, after which the fun can really begin. Best get booking your first track day for it…

---

See the original advert

[chirurgus]

I’ve done something similar with my Z4M coupe - it’s a phenomenal track car that's somewhat compromised for road use.
I’m sure this M2 is fantastic when driven hard but I'm also sure it's much less so when commuting on a rainy January evening.

Edited by chirurgus on Sunday 18th January 04:33

[v8notbrave]

Perfect buffalo stance, love it

[wistec1]

Great track credentials with a lot of money sunk into this M2 and I hope for the sellers sake that the bidding returns the investment because it may not.

[Billy_Whizzzz]

Smells like it has been ragged within an inch of its life

[Its Just Adz]

I really like that, very very smart with a proper spec.

But I beg the question, if it needs disks, why not just do them before putting it up for auction?

[Magikarp]

I really like these, but surely it is the worst of both worlds - too cumbersome for the track and too rigid for every day use.

[cerb4.5lee]

Billy_Whizzzz said:

Smells like it has been ragged within an inch of its life

That was my first thought too in fairness.

They always say don't buy modified cars at the best of times usually as well, but maybe I'm just getting older and a bit more grumpy now though.

It does look lovely and purposeful regardless though.

[cerb4.5lee]

Magikarp said:

I really like these, but surely it is the worst of both worlds - too cumbersome for the track and too rigid for every day use.

I'd personally prefer something a bit lighter for track work really, so I do know where you're coming from. I wouldn't be bothered about tracking my F82 M4 either for example, because it just carries too much weight around with it under braking etc for me. I don't doubt that it would be fun don't get me wrong, but I don't immediately think of M cars when it comes to track work though.

I've got a towbar on the X5, so I'd go down the route of towing my Caterham to the track, and I'd use that instead I think.

[GreatScott2016]

That s quite an investment, doubtful the seller will recoup it, but no doubt a fun thing on track. No doubt a tad compromised on road but to me, just on looks, this just sits too low, accepting track set up etc. may just be the pictures

[chirurgus]

cerb4.5lee said:

Magikarp said:

I really like these, but surely it is the worst of both worlds - too cumbersome for the track and too rigid for every day use.

I'd personally prefer something a bit lighter for track work really, so I do know where you're coming from. I wouldn't be bothered about tracking my F82 M4 either for example, because it just carries too much weight around with it under braking etc for me. I don't doubt that it would be fun don't get me wrong, but I don't immediately think of M cars when it comes to track work though.

I've got a towbar on the X5, so I'd go down the route of towing my Caterham to the track, and I'd use that instead I think.

In general, I agree with your comments about weight (my daily driver is an S2 Exige). However, I used to take both my Westfield and my Zed to the same track on the same day and alternate which car I drove. They each required a different driving style to get the best from them and the Zed was slightly quicker on a short technical lap. The Westfield was about 600kg with me in it and my Zed was corner weighted at just under 1400kg with 80kg ballast on the driver’s seat.

[martin12345]

cerb4.5lee said:

Magikarp said:

I really like these, but surely it is the worst of both worlds - too cumbersome for the track and too rigid for every day use.

I'd personally prefer something a bit lighter for track work really, so I do know where you're coming from. I wouldn't be bothered about tracking my F82 M4 either for example, because it just carries too much weight around with it under braking etc for me. I don't doubt that it would be fun don't get me wrong, but I don't immediately think of M cars when it comes to track work though.

I've got a towbar on the X5, so I'd go down the route of towing my Caterham to the track, and I'd use that instead I think.

i agree, weight is the enemy of track day cars. Not necessarily on a single lap but over a day a heavy car eats it's brakes and tyres.
Common to see larger cars needing new pads and tyres at lunchtime or restricting their laps whereas light cars go round and round all day long and may still have consumables left for the next time

[MDifficult]

The WANT is extremely strong with this one.

I love a track car, but I REALLY love a track car that's built with aesthetic being as important as performance. Yes, I'm shallow, but I'm never going to have the skill to extract every tenth on every lap... so I'd rather just look good doing it.

WANT

[nismo48]

wistec1 said:

Great track credentials with a lot of money sunk into this M2 and I hope for the sellers sake that the bidding returns the investment because it may not.

Agreed, that is quite often the case.

[CG2020UK]

Tracked my M2 when I had it and it was mega fun and very quick with just pads and brakes done.

While lairy on the road at mundane speeds on track it s brilliant and very predictable. Very Jekyll and Hyde personality.

Be right up my street but I m too lazy for a manual now days and l prefer the DCT.

Says a lot that M2s only seem to get knocked by cars 2-3x the price.

Edited by CG2020UK on Sunday 18th January 15:14

[bigmowley]

My lad had one of these which we did a few track days with. I just didn’t really gel with it. It had a few tweaks, bigger brakes, different engine and transmission maps, Cup 2s etc. Cumbersome is a good description. Certainly quick, but not that quick, quite disconnected in feel. Oversteer on demand but without the nice balance on the transition between sliding and gripping. I actually got quite bored by it after a few sessions. I think the weight is an issue. The reference cars we had out on track at the same time were my Porsche GT4 or my R8 RWS. Both of which were much more satisfying to drive quickly. I certainly had more fun in my Megane 275CupS than in the M2. I never felt that the track mods on his M2C compromised the on road performance which was great. For me a lovely road car but an average track car.

[satfinal]

chavtastic

[GTEYE]

Will be interesting to see what it goes for. It certainly looks like it’s seen some track action judging by the paint chips.

I’m guessing it’ll be a fair bit less than an unmodified example, which makes this an expensive experience for the seller.

[Over over under steer]

Not sure about the non-comp. But the M2 Comp I had in manual was the most dull performance car I ve ever owned.

Edited by Over over under steer on Sunday 18th January 17:36

[Over over under steer]

Not sure about the non-comp. But the M2 Comp I had in mania was the most dull performance car I’ve ever owned.

[Maccmike8]

Not digging the wheels or the gear lever.