BMW M2 CS: Why your money can’t buy this car

They say money can’t buy you happiness. What it also can’t buy you is the new BMW M2 CS. For now, if you are not on the exclusive invitation list to bid for one, no amount of money will get you in the front door to owning one.

Let me explain. Although in the rest of the world, the M2 CS is not a limited edition car, the clever marketing people at BMW SA decided to only bring 30 of the cars to the country, number them, and thus make them exclusive and somewhat more desirable than normal.

Three-hundred-and-ninety-three customers were keen to put their names down for the cars that start at a base price of R1.65-million. BMW eventually whittled this list down to 70 of their most important and loyal BMW M customers, and these chosen few are the ones who get a chance to part with their money and own a little piece of motoring happiness.

I have to quickly add, before you think that this is a get rich quick scheme from BMW South Africa, any funds raised over and above the recommended list price of the individual cars on auction, will be donated to charity. Enough of the chatter. What do you get for your money?

First of all you get a few carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) bits on the car in the form of a newly designed bonnet, a roof made entirely from CFRP, a new front splitter, a boot lid spoiler and a rear diffuser in exposed carbon fibre. If I were on the buyers list, I would be opting for the launch Misano Blue and optional gold wheels spec as these exterior changes get a bit lost on the white and black derivatives in my humble opinion.

Inside the car gets the same CS carbon fibre treatment along with a healthy dose of Alcantara on the likes of the armrest in the centre console and a trim strip on the instrument panel bearing a large red CS logo. The centre console is made entirely of lightweight carbon fibre, and CFRP is also used for the door pulls and trim. The ultra-light and grippy track focused M Sport seats from the M4 CS add to the interior appeal and keep you firmly planted where required, and that’s behind the optional Alcantara covered M Sport steering wheel.

But this is a CS and that means it must have the go to match the show, and for this you have a 331kW/550Nm of straight-six turbocharged urge riding on a firm Adaptive M suspension, sticky Michelin Cup tyres, and large brakes, with optional carbon ceramics also being on the menu.

I drove the M2 Competition first around the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, and then jumped into the CS, and immediately you feel the extra urge on tap, and then comes the added stiffness of the suspension, followed by a car that turns in easily and puts the power down. What this talk translates into, is a car that was immensely fun to drive around the track.

I am certain it will be almost as much fun on the road, and the street grand prix numbers come in at four seconds to 100 km/h for the optional M DCT model and 4.2 sec for the six-speed manual along with an electronically limited top speed of 280 km/h. This aspect of the car we will be able to tell you more of when we get the CS on road test, and run it against our Racelogic test equipment. So, stay tuned!

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