A treasure trove of details regarding the upcoming BMW M2 Coupe (Theophilus Chin renderings shown) have surfaced, courtesy of Autocar UK. The hot two-door is reportedly set to pack a turbocharged 3.0 litre six-cylinder motor under its bonnet.
However, it won't be the M3 and M4's N55-derived S55 lump - M division boss Friedrich Nitschke has told the publication that the M2's powerplant is a newly-developed unit with the S57 designation, and that it's based on the upcoming B57 engine that's set to first power the next-gen 7 Series.
Plans exist for this S57 engine to serve petrol-powered M Performance models in the future, and according to Nitschke, it can produce up to 400 hp in production guise - over 60 hp up on the limited-edition 1 Series M Coupe and over 70 hp more than the not-quite-M M235i.
"Four hundred is the magic number. With forced induction it is no trouble to achieve this, but we have to make sure it doesn't get too close to the power level of the new M4," Nitschke told Autocar UK. The M4 and M3 have 431 hp and 550 Nm of twist at their disposal.
A standard six-speed manual or optional seven-speed M DCT with shift paddles will be offered. Naturally, there'll be a start/stop system, brake energy recuperation and thermal energy recovery, says the report.
M division sources indicate that given a DCT, the M2 Coupe will be able to complete the century sprint in 4.4 seconds, while V-max is a limited 250 km/h. Power will go to the back through an electronic limited-slip diff with torque vectoring, but Autocar UK reveals that M division is mulling an xDrive all-wheel drive version for certain markets later on, and that xDrive versions of other M cars could also be offered in the future.
Thanks to some lightweight parts that debuted on the M3 and M4, including a carbon-fibre strut brace in the engine bay and composite plastic panels, the M2 Coupe is slated to weigh considerably less than 1,530 kg.
Our European spyshots reveal that the M2 Coupe will sport unique bumpers front and back, aggressive-looking side skirts, widened wings and quad tailpipes, and Autocar UK says 19-inch wheels will be standard. With its classic squat and compact coupe proportions, it should look a treat.
The M2 Coupe should share the Leipzig production line with its tamer sister, the 2 Series Coupe. Autocar UK expects an almost-production ready concept to show up at September 2015's Frankfurt show, and the real deals to hit Continental showrooms between late-2015 and early-2016. Of course, later on, there should be a wind-in-your-hair variant as well.
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