Baby Spice!

BMW IS SET to unleash the full potential of its M2 coupe with a powered-up, kitted-out CS model.

- Scott Newman

With the F80 M3 now retired and its F82 M4 sibling soon to follow, M Division has been given free rein to fully exploit the mechanicals installed with the introduction of the M2 Competition. That car came within a whisker of knocking off the Porsche 911 GT2 RS in last year’s MOTOR Performance Car of the Year contest.

As you’d expect, BMW is keeping quiet on any official confirmation for now, but well-connected sources have dished enough dirt for us to build up an accurate picture of what to expect from this tyre-shredding twin-turbo two-door. According to our best information, the M2 CS will be revealed in late 2019 and be produced for around 12 months as a last hurrah for the current-generation F87 M2 before attention turns to the new 2 Series Coupe (see breakout), tentatively scheduled to appear in 2022.

The specification of the M2 CS is familiar from the Competition, but the details differ. Under the bonnet is the S55 3.0-litre twin-turbo six, but outputs are expected to swell to an M4-matching 331kW from 5550-6500rpm and 550Nm from 2350-5500rpm. Compared to the M2 Competition, power increases by 29kW and while maximum torque remains the same, the peak extends by another 300rpm. The M2 CS will be the final home for the S55, as future six-cylinder M cars, including the recently revealed X3/X4 M and next-generation M3/M4, will use the latest S58 engine.