Today’s Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com is an interesting mix of the ideas behind my two favorite BMW cars: a 2017 BMW M2 Performance Edition offered by a dealer in Newport Beach, California.
I remember the first time I drove the first-generation M2. It was in 2020 during COVID at a very small press event hosted by BMW for a select group of journalists. They had brought out the M2 and the brand-new (at the time) M2 CS for tests on both the track and the street. Having already driven the M2, I at last got behind the wheel of the wheel of the M2 CS and took off around the track.
Up until this time my favorite more-modern BMW M car was the limited-production 1M. It was such a well-balanced car – my only complaint was the lack of a true BMW M engine. After a few laps in the M2 CS, I knew I had found my favorite BMW M model in the 2 Series. The CS version was a dedicated performance vehicle, a true sports car that you could live with day to day. I am not alone in thinking highly of the M2; many journalists have sung the car’s praises over the years. In many ways it is a modern take on the E36 and E46 M3 cars, offering all the lightness and compact size while delivering much higher performance and all the modern amenities you might want.
You might not have heard of the M2 Performance Edition, as it was limited to only 150 examples. In essence it is the same concept as the E36 M3 Lightweight: Take a standard car and strip as much weight out as possible, while at the same time adding performance options to make a great car even better. These options/deletions include manually adjustable sport seats without heat or lumbar, basic keyless entry, no comfort access, single-zone automatic climate control, HiFi audio system (in place of Harman Kardon audio), no smokers package, black mirror caps, M Performance coilover suspension specifically tuned for the M2, M Performance exhaust, titanium exhaust tips, black kidney and side grilles, M Performance illuminated door sills, and LED door projectors with customer “Performance Edition” image. Pretty much everything that added weight was removed, and other items were enhanced or improved to offer better performance. Sounds like the perfect M car to me.
This BMW looks to be in absolutely immaculate condition. When you consider it has covered 75,700 miles and still looks this good, you know it has been well cared for. Residing in California its whole life, the car was owned by a collector for the last six years and has been serviced exclusively by Crevier BMW since 2019.
Here is my advice. Take a look at the price trend for the E36 M3 Lightweight and then consider this M2 Performance Edition’s asking price of only $34,800. This looks like a tremendous opportunity to me. I feel that these first-generation M2 cars are about to have their day in the market, as they are everything a BMW M car is supposed to be and nothing they aren’t. It is a sort of throwback to the E36 and E46 era and something we are never likely to see again in this purity of form. I would love to have this car in my garage.
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