Lightning Lap 2016: BMW M2

Class: LL2
Lap time: 3:01.9
Base price: $52,695
As-tested price: $54,495
365 hp • 3455 lb • 9.5 lb/hp
Tires: Michelin Pilot Super Sport
F: 245/35ZR-19 (93Y), R: 265/35ZR-19 (98Y)

Here’s a fact: 16 of the 18 street cars at this year’s Lightning Lap went quickest in the cool morning air of Day Three. By then, every driver was accustomed to their cars’ nuances, and every car that was getting new tires had them fitted in anticipation of the favorable conditions on the final day.

BMW’s M2 was not among them. As a testament to its heat tolerance and communicative chassis, it went quickest on used tires during the afternoon of Day Two. Stubbornly durable Michelin Pilot Super Sports yielded consistent hot-weather laps within tenths of a second of each other, despite the less-than-ideal conditions. The M2’s giant-killer attitude shined in sector two’s Climbing Esses where its average speed is higher than the Audi R8’s. And in the fast transitions of sector four, it equals the mid-engined Audi’s time. The mil-spec precision of the M2’s steering, brakes, and shifter provides a trustworthy foundation for purposeful driving, contributing hugely to driver confidence.

If Ford’s Focus RS is the antithesis of convention, then the M2 is the dictionary definition of it—at least when it comes to rear-drive dynamics. Linear, responsive, honest, intuitive, and predictable, it’s a performance coupe that does what it’s told. The M2 lacks the pretense that accompanies so many modern cars. Behind its thoroughly of-the-moment control feel and responses lies the uninhibited sincerity of a 30-year-old sports car.

Never upset by curbing and always easily placed, the M2 offers the ease of driving that beginners need without compromising the speed and ability experts appreciate. There’s enough power to find almost 140 mph on the front straight and sufficient balance to encourage early throttle openings at every corner exit. Its nose obediently follows commands from the thick-rimmed wheel, and when the slide comes, the M2 has already notified you of its arrival. Switch the stability control off and trust its predictable feedback. If it bites you, you probably deserve to be bitten.


Mmm . . . GmbH Cars

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BMW has supplied us with 11 of its M cars for Lightning Lap. Even excluding one rather hefty SUV, though we note it here, lap times have consistently decreased despite increases in curb weights. We’ll let the weight gains slide as long as the lap times keep dropping.