Following up on the fabulous F87, the G87 is the most affordable M car available to purchase new in 2023. Because it slots below the M4, the most performance-oriented variant of the 2 Series Coupe is restricted to 453 horsepower and 406 pound-feet (make that 500 Nm) of torque at the crankshaft.
By comparison, the G82 and convertible-bodied G83 are rated at 473 horsepower and similar peak torque as the M2. It's easy to unlock more, though, because the 3.0L twin-turbo I6 engine is capable of 553 horsepower in the 3.0 CSL and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm) in Competition, CS, and CSL flavors.
Pictured at Biesse Racing Bergamo's dyno testing room, the M2 in the video below features a slip-on exhaust and some carbon-fiber bits and bobs from Slovenia-based Akrapovic. Everything else is allegedly stock, including the engine control unit's calibration. With nothing more than said exhaust, which is constructed from titanium and topped with carbon-fiber tailpipes, the Brooklyn Gray-painted car belts out a respectable 500 ponies.
The uploader says it makes 507, yet those are metric horsepower. The Italians call this unit of measurement cavallo vapore, whereas the Germans refer to metric horsepower as pferdestarke. As per Akrapovic, the Slip-On Line Titanium Exhaust for the gasoline particulate filter-equipped G87 is 7.3 kilograms (about 16 pounds) lighter than stock.
It promises an extra 3.9 kW and 13.5 Nm, converting to 5 horsepower and 10 pound-feet of torque. Although not legal for road use, Akrapovic's link pipe and downpipe sets unlock even more power and torque. The link pipe also squeezes out a further 13.4 kW (18 horsepower) and 21.9 Nm (16 pound-feet) of torque from the second-gen M2's twin-turbocharged sixer.
If the numbers don't add up, fret not because there's an explanation for that. BMW enthusiasts already know that the Bavarian automaker sandbags like crazy. Even the B58 that serves as the basis for the M2's S58 produces more power and torque than advertised. By extension, the B58-engined Toyota GR Supra also makes more than advertised.
There is, however, a problem with the Supra. Manufactured in Austria by Magna Steyr rather than Japan by Toyota, the Supra with the 3.0-liter mill starts at an eye-watering $54,500. For $8,700 on top of that, you could get yourself a brand-spanking-new BMW M2, which is way more special in every respect.
The looks may not be to everyone's taste, but $63,200 is less than the $66,300 of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Be that as it may, bear in mind that both the M2 and C8 are hampered by dealer markups. Toyota, on the other hand, is struggling to get rid of existing dealer stock. Only 1,621 Supras were delivered stateside in the first six months of 2023, down almost 40 percent from the 2,684 units delivered in the first six months of 2022.
The big question, however, is which would you get for $70,000 or thereabout between the M2 and V8-powered Stingray?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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