Quote:
Originally Posted by VisualEcho
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanG
Lets be honest here. This is an old discussion that was settled by the 1M. Like the OG M2 it did not have an S engine but it is highly respected and still sought after. Both the 1M and M2 are real M cars.  |
I'm new to the BMW world, so please forgive my ignorance, but could you elaborate? I mean, what makes an M-car an M-car? Is it really an S designation on the engine? Most all high-end manufacturers have their performance divisions, and they seem to change their themes with the times, and still consider those cars "special", so why is the OG M2 not treated like this? I mean, if it just comes down to performance bits added to a standard model, then the OG M2 would fit, no? And if it doesn't, then isn't the new M2C just an M2 with M4 engine and brakes? I mean, they only used the new S engine because of emissions, not because that was the original intent from the beginning.
Is there something simple I'm missing? |
One thing for sure is that mirrors, seat leather, carbon trim, and buttons does not make a car an M.
As to the exact science for what turns a regular series car into an M it's hard to go by anything but how the car feels, and how it performs. Often to make the car feel and perform more like true performance car suspension needs changing, the car needs to be lighter and weight balanced closer to 50/50, the seats need to hold the driver in place, the wheels and tires wider and the body needs to accommodate the larger size, the drive train needs to be able to put the power to the road, the transmission responsive, the brakes to hold up to repeated use, the cooling to allow the car consistent performance which might mean body updates to help keep air flowing to the right places, the engine will also need to be strong enough to be run hard regularly for extended lengths of time.
I guess the short version is an M car needs to meet some minimum level of responsiveness to driver inputs for extended periods of time.
Where the m2 starts to fall short to me is in the cooling department, because the intercooler heat soaks rather quickly resulting in a lot of power and engine feel to be lost when the needle approaches redline. Previous M cars have had their deficiencies too. For example the e9X m3 brakes are known to not be up to the task when driven hard for extended periods of time.