2023 BMW M2 Spied Attacking The Nurburgring At Full Tilt

Purists and enthusiasts alike, the M2 G87 will likely be your last chance to buy a new BMW M car before electrification takes over. It's also among the final cars from Bavaria's go-faster division to have three pedals, so demand should be through the roof. Debuting later this year to mark 50 years of M, the performance coupe has been caught training at the 'Ring gym.

Unlike big-brother M4 with its front grille visible from the moon, the petite machine has a normal-sized pair of kidneys. It's easy to see you're looking at something different than the M240i even after excluding the M-specific quad exhaust tips. The grille we mentioned has horizontal slats while the air intakes adopt a square shape. In addition, the lower section of the bumper has been redesigned to accommodate extra vents to cool down the punchy inline-six engine.

Unless the swirly camo is playing tricks on us, the M2 will have different headlights compared to the M Performance version and the lesser trim levels. Bigger wheels, chunky brake discs, and blue calipers are all upgrades reserved for the most exciting 2 Series Coupe, as is the lowered ride height courtesy of a stiffer suspension setup.

A closer look at the side profile reveals beefier fenders with more pronounced wheel arches to host what are quite likely wider tracks. The trunk lid spoiler doesn't necessarily look bigger than what you'll find on the M240i, but surely there will be some kind of M Performance upgrade. Speaking of which, we know for a fact the centrally mounted exhaust tips available for the M4 will trickle down to the M2.

Under the hood, expect the M division to cram in the M4's S58, but in a detuned version. The twin-turbo, 3.0-liter unit could have close to 450 horsepower in Competition guise. That would be just about the same as the old M2 CS. Of course, BMW is likely planning hotter derivatives of the G87 due to arrive later in the life cycle. Ideally, the auto-only M4 CSL debuting in May will be followed by an M2 with the same Coupe Sport Lightweight treatment.

It should be noted the M division aims to sell the new M2 exclusively with a rear-wheel-drive layout whereas the M4 can get xDrive at an additional cost. To please both worlds, the coupe will be optionally offered with an automatic transmission, but why would you want that anyway? It won't be the only M car to get a clutch pedal since there's a juicy rumor about an M4 GT/H with the DIY gearbox. However, the CSL-like edition (but with a manual 'box) is apparently not coming to the United States.

Beyond all these exciting M cars coming soon, 2022 will also see the world premiere of the first-ever M3 Touring. Towards the end of the year, BMW is going to introduce the production-ready XM as a bonkers plug-in hybrid SUV serving as a dedicated M car. Come 2023, the M3 CS and M4 CS should follow suit.