We’ve been covering YouTuber Joe Achilles’ BMW M2 “Clubsport” build for awhile, partially because he’s a friend but also because it’s a great example of how to built a track car for the road. So many BMW owners try to tune their cars for the track but end up making them miserable on the road. However, Achilles not only made his M2 Competition a track monster but it’s also good on the road, too. Not an easy task.
In this new video, Achilles drives his M2 Clubsport build on the road. Since it’s been finished, Achilles has only shown video of his car on track, which makes this the first time we get to see it on the road and it’s very well done.
Achilles mostly built this M2 for track use, which is why it has a half-cage, racing bucket seats with five-point harnesses, an extra tall shift lever, and Michelin Cup 2 tires. However, as you can clearly see in this video, it works great on the road. Typically, track-build cars with lowered suspension and racing seats are pretty rough in day-to-day use. But you can watch his body language in this video and he never seems uncomfortable. Hell, he barely even bounces around. I was bouncing around more in the M4 CSL. And its exhaust is loud but it’s not obnoxiously so, which makes it sound good but not harsh.
How did Achilles strike such a good balance between being raw and thrilling but also comfortable and easy-to-use? Diligent, thoughtful, comprehensive tuning, that’s how. There are plenty of previous videos, showing off the various stages of the build, but there are a few important things I can list. He didn’t just go buy the best coilover setup he could, slap it in, and have the engine tuned. He had the car taken to alignment specialists, who tuned its caster and camber to perfection, he chose a suspension setup that wasn’t too stiff but felt just right, and he chose smaller wheels to add a bit of tire sidewall.
If you’re a BMW M2 owner and want to turn it into something that can genuinely be used on both road and track, without compromising much either way, then pay close attention to Joe Achilles’ M2 Clubsport build because it’s the right way to do it.
