The design of the new BMW 2-Series may have rubbed a few people the wrong way but the company is hard at work developing a new M2 and regardless of how it looks, it is bound to be an exceptional performer. The upcoming sports car was recently spied being put through its paces on the Nurburgring under thick body cladding and camouflage. While BMW has done its best to hide the design of the car, there is no hiding the quad tailpipes and the unique soundtrack that makes it stand out from lesser 2-Series models.
While the car is still some ways off being officially launched, CarScoops understands that it will adopt the new S58 3.0-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder used by the latest-generation M3 and M4. BMW will obviously detune this engine for use in the M2 and we suspect the base M2 could have around 410-420 hp while the M2 Competition could produce around 450 hp, close to the old M2 CS.
The turbocharged six-cylinder engine will send its power to the rear wheels, aided by a limited-slip differential. It will most likely be available with a six-speed manual transmission as standard and an optional eight-speed automatic and should hit 96 km/h in the high 3-second range. The M2 prototype in this video is quite clearly fitted with the standard eight-speed ‘auto and has a very subdued soundtrack, no doubt restricted by all the various particulate filters that are now mandated.
