The normal laws of mathematics do not seem to apply to either of these machines. There are numbers associated with both that are a little fuzzy.
One of them is 640 horsepower, the power output of the M2. It has been hailed by Litchfield Motors, as the Tewkesbury tuning specialist turns its attention to the new M2 G87 series. As with many other performance cars, from Alpines to McLarens to Nissan GTRs to Porsches and many more (including the previous generation M2), Litchfield now offers ECU, exhaust and chassis upgrades for the new car, with other options in road. This is her development car, in the final stages of tuning.
Wearing lightweight, wider offset 20in HRE wheels (which Litchfield says saves around 2.4kg at each corner and for which it charges £5,243) and sitting lower on a set of adjustable springs at height (£1,495), they fill the arches menacingly, making the M2 appear visually much wider than it actually is. A survey of the straw paddock says it looks excellent: clearly inspired without being overdone.
That 187bhp power boost comes partly from a new exhaust system, but mostly from an ECU overhaul. It boggles my mind that modern software engineering can give a four-seat, saloon-like coupe more power than a McLaren F1, but that’s the way it is now. For £1795 including VAT. (For the Stage 2 ECU option, that is; the exhaust costs £2676 in stainless steel or £6292 in titanium. Both make the same amount of power and retain the M2’s original catalytic converters and emissions ratings). Litchfield has focused on delivering power as smoothly as possible, with a nice linear turn-in and slightly reduced torque in the first two gears (this car is a manual). I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little intimidated by driving a short-wheelbase car with 640bhp – surprisingly I feel more nervous about driving the M2 than a Caterham or Radikal – but I shouldn’t have. The engine delivery is very smooth and controllable indeed, and all the standard M2 electronics, including variable traction control for how much rope will remain – especially welcome when it started to rain halfway down my route in Cars.
When sliding, there is good communication through the chassis. Litchfield developed the car for fast street use rather than track use, but its chassis upgrades are intended to give more body control, feel and feedback than the standard M2 – a car here found a lack of cohesion on the track when he tested it on Anglesey last year. The spring kit has slightly stiffer rates, reducing roll, but retains the original adaptive dampers and their accompanying Comfort and Sport modes.
Litchfield also tweaks the geometry for a lower ride height and improves bushings. The rear suspension is linked by roses and has adjustable rear toe arms for the camera, among other changes. The chassis upgrade costs £2010.
Surprisingly, the Litchfield-tuned M2 feels quick in a straight line, too. Really, slurred rant-can’t stop laughing, surprisingly fast. Another number: 140, as in the indicated miles per hour on both BMW speeds at various points. This is seriously fast around Cadwell Park. Both numbers are reading slightly higher, as many road cars do: the only car in our Track Car of the Year test to hit 140mph in our VBox data is a Revolution racer, but the M3 CS is the second fastest of all at 138.1 mph. The M2 tops out at 135.7 mph, bested only by the Spartan and two Porsches, and even then.
Another surprising set of numbers: the lap times of both BMWs. The M2 clocks a faster time than the Caterham and even, by a whisker, the Alpine. It comes within nine-tenths of the M3 CS, which is the fastest of the ‘normal’ cars, with only track-focused cars and Porsches ahead. And both BMWs were on road-focused Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires rather than sticky tires elsewhere on the track.
Dickie encounters a little understeer in the M2 while pushing hard on a dry track for lap times: ‘It didn’t have enough of the front end and would push wide in places the M3 CS wouldn’t; went from understeer to oversteer more abruptly.’ He wonders if this could be because the rear grip is now so much better than the standard car, a sentiment echoed by Barker. Litchfield is still fine-tuning the setup and, based on this test, it could be a noticeable step up from the regular car when the balance is finalized.
Also a step up is M Division’s own M3 CS over the regular M3. To its already stellar source material, the CS adds recalibrated dampers, auxiliary springs, new anti-roll bars and revised steering, a revised cam, more turbo boost for a total of 542bhp and a weight saving of 15kg (and more few places to put things in the cabins, as some of that comes from deleting the central storage compartment and cup holders).
Not that it’s light: on hereOn the scales, the M3 CS is the heaviest car here, at 1780kg (and the M2 second heaviest, at 1691kg). But that seemingly meaningless number is also meaningless, as the M3 CS drives like a much lighter car. It reminds me of that exoskeleton Sigourney Weaver wears Foreigners that makes heavyweight capability available for modest physical data,’ is John Barkers apt description.
The M3 CS was the ‘invisible car’ of 2023 here Test car of the year. Great to drive in isolation, it never quite caught the imagination of the judges on border roads, partly because some of the other cars on test were so outstanding and partly because of the weight pressed on its shoulders by the previous CS. -winners with badges. We much prefer it to the supposedly more track-focused M4 CSL – and that car is now long sold.
If the M3 CS faded a bit into the background at eCoty, it shines brightly here. Really shiny. There’s so much feel and feedback in the steering and chassis, and the all-wheel drive system is excellent. “It offers the traction of a four-wheel drive car but handles mostly like a rear driver, which to me is absolutely the best kind of four-wheel drive,” says John.
“It’s pretty clever isn’t it…” agrees Dickie. “I think we – rightly – make a big deal of cleanliness and uncomplicated, but when the modes and switchable systems are done well, like BMW has here, it’s very impressive. It’s a big old bus, isn’t it?” ?But the way it went around the first two corners was amazing. I could keep so much speed and only it would come out of the throttle a bit and tighten the line. It doesn’t really feel like four-wheel drive in Sport 4WD mode; is still throttle driven.’
All-wheel drive likely helps the M3 CS lap over the rear-drive M2 and, as an automatic, shifts are quicker, if not necessarily as fun. JB and Meaden both praise the gearbox and brakes.
“Yes, you’re aware of the mass of the thing and its scale, but it’s remarkable how ready the CS feels in your hands,” concludes John. “The engine is irresistible, a monster, with positive revs when you pull the paddle, and the brakes are rocking too. They bring the car down from speed so hard you can almost feel the pads wearing into the dust…’ That said, Dickie notes that, unlike some heavy track cars, you never feel like you’re killing the car. You won’t be put off by the thought of taking one on a track day.
If something went wrong. One more number: the M3 CS costs £116k. But what a glorious, numbers-defying creation.