It's been over a year since the M2 CS dethroned the Audi RS3 to become the fastest production compact car around the Nurburgring, with a lap time of 7 minutes and 25.5 seconds. However, BMW felt there was still room for improvement to widen the gap over Audi's 7:33 lap. On May 22 this year, BMW returned to the Nordschleife with a couple of twists, fielding the regular M2 fitted with a new M Performance Track Kit.
Despite carrying an extra 77 pounds and packing 50 fewer horsepower compared to the CS, the standard M2 managed to improve on last year's record, shaving off half a second with a new lap time of 7 minutes and 25 seconds. Jörg Weidinger drove the M2 to a new lap record among compact cars, with the coupe equipped with the new M Performance Track Kit being quicker than the M3 CS Sedan (7:28) and the M3 CS Touring (7:29), but still trailing the M4 CS (7:21) and the M4 CSL, which remains the fastest production BMW around the 'Ring with a lap of 7:18.
View Price on AmazonThe M Performance Track Kit doesn't come cheap, costing a steep $23,500 in Germany. The new package bundles many track-focused upgrades, including a manually adjustable swan-neck carbon-fiber rear wing borrowed from the M4 GT4 Evo and GT3 Evo race cars. BMW also includes an adjustable front splitter and a trick coilover suspension with four-way adjustable rebound and compression damping. Ride height can be lowered by up to 0.79 inches, and the kit also adds adjustable support bearings.
For the Nurburgring run, BMW M paired the M Performance Track Kit with optional ultra-sticky-yet-road-legal Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires. The M2 CS wore the same semi-slick rubber during last year's record lap. The new track-focused components aren't limited to newly purchased M2s, as the kit is also available as a retrofit for existing rear-wheel-drive cars.
Source: motor1.com
