BMW M2

High-performance version of the 2 Series Coupé is both a new car and a last hurrah On sale Now Price from £64,890

- Steve Huntingford

SCI-FI WRITER ARTHUR C Clarke foresaw everything from communications satellites to remote working - but he also said we'd have bioengineered monkey servants. Yes, predicting the future is hard, but if we were to have a crack, we'd suggest that this new BMW M2 is likely to be a safe place to put your money.

Why? Well, for starters, it slots in as the most compact car in BMW's current M performance range, and if you look at the division's back catalogue, you see that the smaller models tend to be among the most revered; the original M3, the Z3 M Coupé and the 1M Coupé are all bonafide classics.

In addition, the M2 continues to feature rear-wheel drive and the option of a manual gearbox (an eight-speed automatic is standard), which should help it to appeal to enthusiasts. And as the final purely combustion-powered car the M division will ever build, it's destined to be historically significant.

Under the bonnet sits a variant of the turbocharged 3.0-litre engine that powers the latest M3 and M4. It's been detuned so that it produces 'only' 454bhp. But while that leaves the M2 being barely any faster than the cheaper M240i, you're unlikely to be left craving more performance; 0-62mph takes 4.1sec with the automatic 'box, or 4.3sec in manual form.