Thursday 23rd October

Watch new BMW M2 Drift Competition in action

BMW puts its 1,100hp 'Ultimate Drift Machine' to the test in its giant Munich factory...

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Red Bull Driftbrothers enjoy a long-established relationship with BMW; anyone who follows the Drift Masters European Championship will be familiar with the 1,040hp M4 Competition developed specifically for its purposes; anyone familiar with YouTube videos might recall seeing the latest M5 skidded around BMW Welt for the internet’s amusement earlier this year. It was Elias Hountondji behind the wheel then, too. 

October finds him attending BMW’s giant facility in Munich for two reasons: one, to talk about the new BMW M2 Drift Competition that is in its final stages of development ahead of replacing the old M4. And two, to spend a couple of minutes (well, more in real life) skidding about the factory floor. The latter having been emptied of line workers, and, you imagine, tidied up a bit. 

The modified M2 rather conforms to expectations, too. BMW hasn’t yet divulged all the work that has gone into transforming the stock car into the ‘Ultimate Drift Machine’ (obvs) though it does reveal that the turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six has been induced to output 1,100hp and 922lb ft of torque - which is quite the upgrade, especially when powering a single axle, in a race machine stripped of all niceties. 

Needless to say, the single-seater is a beast of a thing - though, given the slow speeds involved, Hountondji makes it seem as leisurely as a stroll in the park. Not that it felt that way in the cabin: “I was all focus all the time because I knew what was at stake. If I ran the car into any machine, we’d have millions in damage!” Well, quite. If that doesn’t put you off having a go for yourself, there is apparently a small fleet of ‘specially converted vehicles’ heading to the BMW M Driving Academy next year, in partnership with Red Bull Driftbrothers. Hopefully with nothing more expensive than a cone to hit…

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• Red Bull Driftbrothers test 1,050hp BMW M4
• 2025 BMW M2 vs Alpine A110 R

[Simon Lee 100]

Lovely production values.

[m62tu]

The music does not in anyway complement the video. Unappealing rubbish. Also would be better if at certain stages, they included BMW factory workers adding the missing panels.

[skilly1]

Too many re-do’s, you can see from the marks on the ground. To many cuts spoil the flow. Has been done so much better before # ken block.

[GreatScott2016]

Looks like a giggle. Nice camber on the front wheels too

[nismo48]

skilly1 said:

Too many re-do s, you can see from the marks on the ground. To many cuts spoil the flow. Has been done so much better before # ken block.

Fair play, although the late great Ken Block did many edits on his videos.

[sdiggle]

Nice. Now I'm off to Youtube to watch a good ol' Ken Block gymkhana #goat

[5lab]

enjoyed the way they tried to show how close he got to the wall and he just whacked it instead at 1:20 in

[robi4387]

So with 1,100bhp and what 1200 kg this can, theoretically, spin its rear wheels at 180mph. It is so colourful, pretty and powerful and SO UNLIKE the grey boxes that BMW pushes on us though its dealers.

[Jon_S_Rally]

robi4387 said:

So with 1,100bhp and what 1200 kg this can, theoretically, spin its rear wheels at 180mph. It is so colourful, pretty and powerful and SO UNLIKE the grey boxes that BMW pushes on us though its dealers.

Wheel speed will be very much dependent on gearing. This car has a Samsonas sequential gearbox, and pro-level drift cars have "quick-change" rear diffs, where you can switch out the final drive in a few minutes to alter the gearing to suit the track.

Drifting has come a long way in the last 10-15 years. The cars are proper bits of kit now, with bespoke suspension components etc. You can see why youngster love it too, as the cars are wild and make loads of noise, while most other motorsport disciplines have become bogged down in technical regulations that rarely add to the spectacle.