The new BMW M2 Competition has hardly turned a wheel in anger, but that hasn’t stopped the Munich-based automaker from announcing a veritable smorgasbord of tasty M Performance parts for the latest iteration of the M Division’s smallest rear-wheel-drive sportscar.
BMW says its engineers were given the task of improving the M2 Competition’s driving dynamics even further, and they came up with a series of highlights primarily aimed to lowering the vehicle’s weight and enhancing “its already very sporty driving characteristics”.
The fresh catalogue of parts includes an M Performance suspension retrofit kit, which lowers the coil-spring suspension by a further 20 mm and allows the dampers to be independently adjusted for the compression stage (12 settings) and the rebound stage (16 settings).
Then there are the larger, internally ventilated (and perforated) M Compound brake discs that BMW says “ensure improved thermal resilience” compared with the standard braking system. Aluminium six-piston fixed callipers at the front and four-piston fixed callipers at the rear are included, while sports brake pads are also available.
This system, in conjunction with new 19-inch forged wheels (in Y-spoke design, codenamed 763 M), reduces unsprung masses by 3,2 kg. The new alloys will be offered in Jet Black matte or Frozen Gold (with machined M Performance lettering in the rim flange), with the five-double-spoke design highlighting the red callipers. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres can also be specified.
Of course, there are various additional lightweight parts fashioned from carbon-fibre, including the newly developed M Performance bonnet (complete with a powerdome and partially visible varnished carbon-fibre, saving 9 kg), the M Performance roof (cutting weight by 5 kg) and the M Performance tailgate (reducing mass by a further 6 kg). In addition, the M Performance front side panel in carbon-fibre, complete with integrated air outlets made of visible carbon-fibre, cuts weight even more.
Not enough carbon-fibre for you? Then you’ll be glad to hear that the front splitter, kidney grille, air breather side bars, side-mirror caps, door sill finishers, side-skirt extensions, rear diffusor, rear spoiler and engine cover can all be specified in the lightweight material. Even the vehicle’s key can be upgraded with an M Performance case in a mix of Alcantara and (you guessed it) carbon-fibre.
The M Performance exhaust system, meanwhile, is largely fashioned from lightweight stainless steel (for a total saving of 8 kg), but features a titanium rear silencer and 93 mm tailpipes made of carbon-fibre (with the obligatory M logo). Thanks to its adjustable exhaust flap, BMW says the sound ranges from “sporty to uncompromising racing acoustics”.
Other interesting items in the catalogue include LED door projectors, two fresh steering wheel designs, stainless steel pedal covers, M Performance floor mats and the M Performance Drive Analyser (which requires an on-board diagnostics stick and a special smartphone app). Then, of course, there are those distinctive M Performance Motorsport decals…
