Our new BMW M2 G87!

BMW's latest creation, the M2, boasts a muscular presence, the grille design, contrary to recent BMW trends, is well proportioned, and the air intakes leave little doubt as to the car's sporting ambitions. It has a body-built look, with angular lines that are subtly reminiscent of BMW's legendary M3 E30, giving it an imposing presence. In short, it offers a perfect balance between power and aesthetics.

This new generation is larger than its predecessor (F87), extending by 11.4 cm in length, 3.3 cm in width and 1.1 cm in height, with the wheelbase extended by 5.4 cm. This enlarged silhouette means it loses some of its 'compact' credentials (+6 cm compared with the 2 Series Coupé)

Bigger means more weight on the scales. With certain options, the weight of the M2 can climb to 1,800 kg! To make up for this extra weight, BMW is offering a number of options to lighten the car, such as a carbon fibre roof (-6 kg) and carbon bucket seats, which save 10.8 kg. To keep the weight down, the M2 is fitted with 380 mm brakes at the front with 6-piston callipers and 370 mm at the rear with single-piston floating callipers.

From the moment you slide into the driver's seat of the all-new BMW M2, one word immediately rings out: TECHNOLOGY. You're greeted by twin 12.3-inch screens on the dashboard and a 14.9-inch touchscreen displaying the latest generation of BMW iDrive. The rendering is clearly futuristic.

The details are equally impressive. The door panels are worked in a resolutely modern style, with distinctive embossed motifs and a subtly backlit BMW emblem, as if to recall with pride the illustrious lineage of this car.

The M2 comes with sports seats as standard. But for those looking for an extra sporty touch, BMW offers M Sport seats in perforated leather as an option, or for the sportiest, M Carbon bucket seats.

Under the bonnet, we find the heart of the M3 and M4, a 3.0L twin-turbo engine (S58), tweaked slightly to deliver 460bhp and 550Nm of torque. It's an engine we're already very familiar with, since it's the same one that powers our M4 CSL and on which we've already developed a Stage 3 that develops 816bhp and 910Nm. These results are the fruit of dozens of hours of development work with our engineers, which is a significant advantage when it comes to preparing this new bike. We've opted for an 8-speed automatic transmission on this model, but purists will be able to opt for a 6-speed manual gearbox. In terms of performance, the original M2 promises acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds.

Unlike the basic 2 Series Coupé, the chassis and structure of the M2 have been strengthened, particularly in the front cradle. The suspension has also been improved, with stiffer springs at the front and softer ones at the rear taken from the M3 Touring, for optimised agility in corners. The car is also equipped as standard with a host of technologies, including electronically controlled suspension, progressive power steering, electronically controlled differential, traction control and 10-stage stability control. It rides on the same tyres as the BMW M4, 275/35/19 at the front and 285/30/20 at the rear (compared with 245 front and 265 rear in 19-inch sizes on the previous M2 F87), with the option of 20- and 21-inch wheels.

A 'Setup' button allows drivers to customise various aspects of the vehicle, such as throttle response, transmission speed, suspension behaviour, stability control, traction control and even brake pedal resistance. In addition to the pre-configured Road, Sport and Track modes, two profiles can be saved to suit the driver's individual preferences.

At Shiftech, our new showcar will reflect our expertise in car preparation. Our team of experts will work on every detail of the M2 G87, with a single mission: to push even further the performance and styling limits of this already extraordinary car.

For this project, we've set no barriers - performance is our number one objective. We'll start with a Stage 1 and a Stage 2 with E85 Flexfuel conversion. Then we'll take it up a notch with a Stage 3 and finally a Stage 4!

Yes, you read that right. By replacing the original connecting rods with forged ones, we're going to get all the power and torque out of the S58 engine, while ensuring a certain level of reliability.

For this preparation we're going to install performance parts such as a complete exhaust system, hybrid turbos, intakes, a more efficient injection system and a large-volume intercooler.

And, of course, we know that such power needs a chassis to match. That's why we're going to install an improved braking system and adjustable suspension.

To enhance the M2's sporty look, we'll be adding a carbon body kit, including a front bumper blade, rocker panels, rear diffuser and spoiler.

there's no doubt that, once finished, this M2 will be formidable!