The BMW G87 M2 is likely to be the last BMW M car offered exclusively in a rear-wheel-drive configuration, powered by a pure ICE power plant, and paired with a manual transmission. There is still a manual for the BMW M3 and BMW M4, but those are diluted versions of the Competition variants.
While this might sound like us saying “the end is near!”, our point is that we’ve got to get them while we can, and one of the best modern M cars is one of the cars we think nobody with enough cash to consider a brand-new M car should look at first. That modern M car that we’ve earmarked as the best of the modern bunch is the BMW F87 M2 Competition.
The F 87 BMW M2 Competition Is The Car You Want
2019 BMW M2 Competition Exterior Front Driving On RacetrackBMW
Model
2019 BMW M2 Competition
Engine
3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six
Horsepower
405 hp @ 7,000 rpm
Torque
406 lb-ft @ 2,350 rpm
0-60 mph
3.9 seconds
Top speed
174 mph
In the 2000s and into the 2010s, BMW’s 1 Series coupes and convertibles were compact and sometimes sporty offerings from the German automaker. The 2 Series coupes and convertibles replaced the 1 Series coupes and convertibles. In 2015, BMW introduced the BMW M2 in the Need for Speed video game, but it later made its debut at the North American International Auto Show. These were rear-wheel-drive, compact coupes with a muscular and shapely physique, at their core relying on one of BMW’s most prominent turbocharged inline six-cylinder engines: the N55B30T0. In this form, the BMW M2 was an impressive sports car, but BMW would later produce a limited run of improved versions, called the BMW M2 Performance Edition, which was more poised, agile, and sporty.
2019 BMW M2 Competition Exterior Rear Close-UpBMW
Production of the BMW M2 coupe ended when the automaker replaced it with the car we’re peddling today, the BMW M2 Competition. Instead of sharing an engine with the 1 Series and different versions of the BMW X1, the Competition variant shared an engine with the F8X generation’s BMW M3 and BMW M4. Dubbed the S55, the predecessor of the BMW S58 is found in the current M2. It was a significantly more powerful engine than the N55 used in the M2 coupe, featuring a stronger closed-block design, twin fuel pumps, a revised engine cooling system, new materials for the valves, and new valve springs.
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Although not as powerful as its larger siblings, the BMW M2 Competition benefits in comparison to the M3 and M4 by being more compact, and thanks to its rear-wheel-drive configuration, results in a more engaging driving experience. Weighing only 3,472 lbs, it was a balanced sports car that was as nice to drive as it was to look at. Compared to the BMW M2 coupe, the BMW M2 Competition outperforms it in every performance metric and can still contend with most sports cars on public streets, while also being a thrilling handful around a racetrack.
Pricing Is Steep, But Fair
2019 BMW M2 Competition Exterior Finished In White Drifting Around RacetrackBMW
When it debuted, the BMW M2 Competition had a base price of roughly $59,895. Now, four years after its production ended, the BMW M2 Competition has an average selling price of $52,587. However, our focus is on the BMW M2 Competition version equipped with a six-speed manual transmission.
These specific examples aren’t tricky to find. It seems the manual take-up rate was quite high, so you can find a manual competition within the average price mentioned above. That’s roughly $10,000 less than a brand-new GR Supra. And since the Supra never received full access to the might of the S58, the older car’s 405 hp trumps the Supra’s 382 hp.
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What You’d Pay For A Current M2 In Similar Specification
Front quarter shot of a 2025 BMW M2 coupeBMW
Model
2026 BMW M2
Engine
3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six
Horsepower
473 hp @ 6,250 rpm
Torque
406 lb-ft @ 2,650-6,130 rpm
0-60 mph
4.1 seconds
Top speed
177 mph
The 2026 BMW M2 has a starting price of $69,000. For that, the BMW M2 offers a nearly identical formula to its predecessor, which is a compact (in comparison to the BMW M3 and M4) two-door coupe sending power sourced from a twin-turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine. However, compared to the previous generation BMW M2, the current BMW M2 boasts more power. It is underpinned by a more modern architecture and hardware, affording it improved road-going capabilities and a greater affinity for track driving. The new car is 155 to 267 lbs heavier than the old one.
If $50k Is Too Much…
2016 BMW M2 Coupe Exterior Finished In Blue Drifting On Race TrackBMW
Model
BMW F87 M2 Coupe
Engine
3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six
Horsepower
365 hp @ 6,500 rpm
Torque
369 lb-ft @ 1,450 rpm
0-60 mph
4.3 seconds
Top speed
163 mph
Suppose the asking price of a used BMW F87 M2 Competition is too much, which we understand, because $50,000 is enough to buy a brand-new car that could get you from A to B without the skittish nature of the M2 Competition and with better fuel economy. There is an alternative to the BMW M2 Competition: the standard BMW F87 M2. This was the entry-level offering for the sporty F87-generation M2 lineup, powered by the N55 inline-six-cylinder engine, which we’ve already stated was shared by some of the 1 Series coupes and convertibles.
2016 BMW M2 Coupe Exterior Finished In BlueBMW
Although it was equipped with a slightly less powerful six-cylinder engine, the base-specification BMW M2 was and still is an impressive sports car. Still, it didn’t have the chiseled physique of its Competition sibling. According to Classic.com, the average selling price of a BMW F87 M2 coupe is $39,316.
Sources: BMW
