Given how the M2 has dominated all BMW 2 Series discussion for a while now, it’s been all too easy to forget about the M240i xDrive. Which is unfortunate, because it’s a great car: powerful, good to drive, lovely to listen to, and less in-your-face than the M car in every sense. And there’s purple on the colour chart. With a recent facelift, the M Performance car may be back on radars again soon, albeit once again fighting for attention alongside the 480hp M2. Ahead of then, and for those who don’t want an M2, Manhart has this: the MH2-450.
As the name implies, this is (almost) a 450hp 2 Series. From a standard 374hp/369lb ft, it’s now at 440hp/442lb ft thanks to nothing more than Manhart’s in-house MHtronik powerbox. Long live the BMW 3.0-litre B58 engine. There is an assortment of silly exhaust options available for those who want to shout about their extra performance. Additional upgrades exist ‘for those for whom the power on offer here is not enough’. With the standard xDrive and auto box alongside the very tuneable engine, there aren’t many cars that make going very fast so simple. According to Google, the world’s most potent B58 makes 1,200hp. At the wheels.
Anyway, the Manhart car. Ensuring it makes the most of the extra power are KW V4 coilovers (or you can just have H&R springs, or nothing at all - it’s a good stock setup) as well as wider tyres on Manhart’s Concave One wheels. It’s a familiar overhaul, complete with some wild graphics as well. Subtlety doesn’t really feature in Manhart’s vocab. But might it be argued the 2 Series suits it? It’s never going to truly blend in, even with the 240i’s fairly restrained aesthetic, so perhaps it’s best to lean into the OTT-ness.
As with all the Manhart demos, though, the stickers and the white wheels and the bigger spoilers are all optional add ons. Going without the graphics but keeping everything else could make for something really smart. With a host of B58 tuning options out there, Manhart needs to make its offering stand out, after all. Its MHtronik powerbox for the M240i is €2,195. Tempting with early ones at less than £40k (and M2s some way from that), and surely with deals to be done on pre-facelift, lightly used ones. Especially in Thundernight purple.
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