SMALL BUT FIERY (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 42

BMW's first generation F87 M2 proved that the Munich marque could still make accessible, thrilling performance models that prioritised rapid response and a uniquely involving driving experience. If you yearn for super sportscars like they used to be, you'll absolutely love it.

Modelsword count: 3

2dr Coupe (M2/M2Competition/M2CS)

Historyword count: 514

It look BMW's M division a long time to realise that there was a market for smaller models. Those didn't appear until the mid-Nineties, Z3-based M Roadster and Coupe designs launched over twenty years after BMW Motorsport was founded in 1973. And it wasn't until 2011 that the M engineers dropped a straight six engine into a 1 Series Coupe to create the now much-revered 1M Coupe. The spirit of that car was commercialised by the very first F87 M2 in 2015, which went on to become the best-selling M car of all time. The Munich maker's M division needed this car. Since its turn to turbocharging back in 2011 with the fifth generation M5, its products had become more sophisticated but arguably at the same time, slightly less involving. The company's new generation turbo engines were certainly achieving the target of extra speed with greater efficiency, but they were developing that power so low in the rev range that whole layers of electronics were needed to keep things in check. As a result, in a modern M3, M4 or M5, it was often hard for real enthusiasts to feel quite the sense of satisfaction they'd enjoyed in earlier models. What was needed was something simpler and more straightforward. Not a stripped-out racer with an inflated collectors-item price but an affordable, everyday-usable entry-level M car able to deliver a dramatic cocktail of speed, drama and driveability. A car, we were told back in 2015, exactly like this F87 M2. Originally, its basic fundamentals weren't actually very different to those of an ordinary M240i of this period, prior to this M2's arrival the flagship model in BMW's ordinary 2 Series Coupe range and a car costing substantially less. Don't worry though. In developing this F87 design, almost every aspect of this M2 was taken apart and lovingly re-fettled for motorsport-minded owners. As a result, it's a bespoke performance road racer, exactly as every M car should be. Under the bonnet, the straight six got a single turbo, rather than the pair featured by larger M models but the Active M Differential, M Servotronic steering, M Compound braking system and, for those wanting it, the M DCT paddeshift auto transmission all came straight from the pricier, more powerful M3 and M4 twins. Add in to this lighter, more agile package the lightweight M suspension, an M Quad sports exhaust system and grippy, made-to-measure Michelin Sport rubber that BMW included in this F87 and you've a potentially addictive recipe. In August 2018, BMW upgraded this F87 design to 'Competition' status, which meant a significant change in the engine bay. The original model single turbo 2,975cc N55 straight six was replaced by a 2,963cc S55 straight six with twin turbos, borrowed from the M3 and M4. Power was increased from 365hp two 404hp. An additional top CS version of this model went on sale in the summer of 2020, with extra carbon trimming, aerodynamic additions and an S55 engine upgraded to 444hp. The F87 M2 sold until mid-2023, when it was replaced by the second generation G87 model.

What You Getword count: 299

An M2 buyer might want to drive a street racer but he or she won't necessarily appreciate extreme degrees of aesthetic excess. Refreshingly, everything you see is there to make the car go faster. Take the flared bodywork at the front, 55mm wider than it would be on a standard 2 Series Coupe of this period in order to accommodate the wider front track needed for the more serious forged aluminium suspension set-up shared with M3 and M4 models of this time. The profile is no less arresting, with sweeping creases, aerodynamic sill extensions and these lovely side grilles, plus the wider track also allows the fitment of big 19-inch M Double-spoke wheels. At first glance inside, there's little to differentiate the cabin from that of any mainstream M Sport-trimmed 2 Series Coupe, but look a little closer and the changes made become more obvious. The sports seats, the steering wheel and the instrument dials are all unique - and not only because they feature M branding. The low-set Dakota leather-trimmed blue-stitched seats have adjustable side bolsters for greater support through quick corners. The M multi-function nappa leather steering wheel has a thinner rim than is customary on an M car and though it you glimpse a bespoke set of dials with a speedo reaching round to 186mph and a rev counter reading up to 8,000rpm. Courtesy of the boxy shape, they rear seats are properly usable by a couple of adults, provided that the journey isn't too long. The limiting factor here lies with legroom, though you get 21mm more of that in this M2 than was on offer from the 1 Series M Coupe model it effectively replaced. Out back, there's a 390-litre boot, extendable via a backrest that folds either 60:40 or 40:20:40, depending on spec.

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