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BMW M2 Prototype Spotted with DCT Gearbox Out Testing

It’s all but official at this point. Some more spy photos coming in from China seem to show a BMW M2 prototype out testing with a 7-speed DCT gearbox. How do we know? By the unmistakable gear shift knob BMW uses for its ultra-fast transmission.
7-speed DCT gearbox inside BMW M2 7 photos
Photo: Autohome.cn
BMW M2 prototype with DCT GearboxBMW M2 prototype with DCT GearboxBMW M2 prototype with DCT GearboxBMW M2 prototype with DCT GearboxBMW M2 prototype with DCT GearboxBMW M2 prototype with DCT Gearbox
So where does that leave us? Well, personally, very disappointed. Recently I wrote an editorial where I stood up for automatic and DCT gearboxes but I was referring to mid and long terms plans, not a model that was supposed to be an epitome of handling greatness.

The M2 is being expected by thousands of fans that are disappointed with the way things are going in Munich and want a pure driver’s car with a proper manual transmission. Many of us thought that the Germans would follow the recipe used for the limited-run 1M Coupe and offer it only with a stick shift.

That’s all but gone by now as this is not the first time the M2 was spotted with a DCT knob inside. Even so, the reason for choosing to go down this route is probably performance related.

The future Coupe is supposed to tap into a very narrow band of performance, somewhere between the M4 and the M235i. That means its acceleration time should be anywhere between 4.3 and 4.6 seconds, and we have a hunch it will be dead flat at 4.4 seconds with the DCT.

Coming up to that number involves taking into account the 370 HP output of the revised N55 engine under the bonnet (turbocharged 3-liter inline-6) the weight of the car (it won’t be using CFRP by the plentiful to avoid becoming substantially lighter than the M4) and the fast transmission (7-speed DCT).

Even in front of such irrefutable evidence, a part of me is still hoping BMW will come to its senses and offer a manual choice too, for all of those people out there that are not ready yet to adopt an automatic lifestyle. Either way, we will learn all about the new car pretty soon as it's bound to make its debut at the IAA 2015 this September.
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