The most hardcore version coming from any tuner in the shape of the M2 so far has got to be what the madmen from Manhart Racing came up with. Their 630 HP BMW M2 blew everyone’s minds when it was unveiled and it is a crazy little kitty to play with. So far, we’ve only seen it in a couple of photos but the day has come to hear it roar and watch it burn rubber.
We do need to point out a couple of things though. First of all, the 630 HP output is impressive but it wasn’t achieved using the M2’s standard N55 engine. Instead, the guys from Manhart decided to install the same engine used inside the M3 and M4 cars, the S55 3-liter twin-turbo straight six that is good for 431 HP and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque in standard guise.
On top of what the stock S55 could do, they also mixed things up a little to go up to 630 horses. We don’t have the exact technical specs but we guess some ECU tuning and probably some hardware changes were needed to get things up to this incredible level of performance. Therefore, since the M2 already used the suspension, rear differential and 7-speed gearbox the M4 has, with the same engine inside, there’s so little to tell the two apart.
Alas, the M2 is smaller and lighter on its feet. Chip in the extra power the Manhart Racing team infused in it, this is a proper beast that will hang with the best of them out there, without a problem. You may very well think of it as a proper BMW supercar, only it wasn’t developed in Munich. Now, let’s hear it roar and watch it burn some rubber.
