Tag Archives: BMW M2 Competition

BMW M2 Competition with supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 heads to SEMA

As with most automotive events that were canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, last year’s tuner-focused SEMA show also didn’t take place. The Specialty Equipment Market Association is eager to return in full force in 2021 and one of the more interesting builds will be this wild BMW M2 Competition. Filippo Speed Shop has done a rather unusual engine swap that we’re pretty sure very few saw coming.

Gone is the S55 twin-turbo inline-six engine as instead of a 3.0-liter unit, this 2020 M2 Competition is now rocking a massive 6.2-liter HEMI. Yes, it’s the V8 mill powering a series of SRT Hellcat muscle cars sold in the US. Since the engine bay wasn’t originally conceived to accommodate such a massive powertrain, the folks over at Filippo Speed Shop solid mounted the supercharged eight-cylinder powerhouse.

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Not the actual car

The high-performance coupe has retained the original strut mounts, but with a couple of spacers in the back. As you can easily see, the large-displacement engine barely fits under the hood, but they made it work in the end. The result is a massive power boost over the M2 Competition’s stock output of 405 hp and 406 lb-ft as Dodge offers the HEMI engine with as much as 807 hp and 707 lb-ft in the Challenger SRT Super Stock. There’s no word about how the larger powertrain has affected the weight distribution, although it’s safe to say it’s no longer 53:47 as the M2 Competition is likely quite a bit more nose-heavy than before.

With great power comes great responsibility, which is why the little Bimmer now features a custom set of six-piston front and four-piston brake calipers from StopTech, hiding behind custom 18-inch forged wheels finished in black. It’s an M2 worthy of the CSL badge as it boasts carbon fiber vented front fenders, Lexan windows all around, and a completely stripped-out interior with just the driver’s seat.

Don’t go into thinking this build is just for the SEMA show as the skilled folks at Filippo Speed Shop are saying it’s a legit race car and they’ll be taking it to the track to show what it’s capable of at full tilt. The project started off with a brand-new M2 Competition before getting a full makeover, which included a sequential gearbox, a four-way-adjustable coilover suspension, and a rear wing likely visible from the moon.

The custom BMW will take part in the Battle of the Builders (BOTB) competition at this year’s SEMA show, which kicks off on November 2.

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[Source: SEMA Show / YouTube]

VIDEO: Joe Achilles Drives the BMW 1M — Better Than an M2 Comp?

One of BMW’s modern legends is the BMW 1 Series M. The 1M was a bit of a Frankenstein car, built as a parts-bin special, with several of its bits pulled from cars like the E92 M3. However, the final product was something so special and so engaging that BMW enthusiasts the world over fell in love with it. In this new video from Joe Achilles, we get to take a look at the BMW 1M and if it’s better than the M2 Competition.

While the video isn’t a direct comparison between both cars, Achilles is an M2 Competition owner and has owned his car for quite a long time. So he can easily describe the differences between the two cars. And there are many differences.

In a way, the BMW M2 Competition the spiritual successor to the BMW 1M, despite the two cars being incredibly different under the skin. They’re both small, rear-wheel drive, two-door coupes with six-cylinder engines but that’s really where the similarities end.

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The 1M’s engine is a 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged I6, like the M2’s, but the 1M’s isn’t actually an M Division engine. Instead, it’s the engine from a BMW 335i but with some modification from the M Division. Whereas the M2 Comp engine is a proper M engine, borrowed from the F82 M3 Competition. The BMW 1M was only available with a manual transmission, while the M2 Comp is available with a DCT. The 1M also used hydraulic steering, while the M2 Competition uses an electric power steering rack.

So after a brief drive in the BMW 1M, does Achilles — a longtime M2 Competition owner — feel like the older car is the better car? In a lot of ways, yes. The M2 Comp, without question, is more capable, faster, and more modern. It’s the better car to live with on a day-to-day basis. But on a twisty road, it’s almost a guarantee that the 1M will be more fun. More importantly, it’s more fun at lower speeds, which means you don’t have to risk suicide to really play with it. So which one’s better? Tough call but if I had to make the choice, I’m going for the little orange bruiser.

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VIDEO: Joe Achilles tests Michelin Cup 2 Connect Tires on his BMW M2 Competition

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Of all the BMWs on sale, the one most likely to see track duty is the M2 Competition. Sure, cars like the M340i and M5 are great on track but who is realistically going to take those cars to a track day? Very few. It’s the BMW M2 Competition that’s going to see track time. So if you’re an M2 Comp owner and want to have some fun in your car, you’re going to need the right tires. In this video from Joe Achilles, he tests out Michelin Cup 2 Connect tires on his very own M2 Comp on track.

Like all things in today’s world, the Michelin Cup 2 tires are connected tires, so they can connect to a mobile app that gives you a readout of what they’re doing. So, as you can see in Achilles’ video, you can have your mobile phone mounted somewhere in your car with the Michelin app up, as it displays all the necessary info about your tires. For instance, the app told him that three of his tires needed a bit of deflating before heading out on track. Also, the app gave him an exact tire temperature readout for each corner, allowing him to know when they were up to temperature enough to push them hard.

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As always, the BMW M2 Competition also looks like a riot on track. I’m personally jealous of Achilles, as he owns the M2 Comp, so he can track it whenever he wants. I have to wait until BMW press events. Still, the M2 Comp is a genuine riot on track, even though it’s scared the hell out of me a few times.

This video does show that tire technology can be extremely helpful for any enthusiast that actually wants to push their BMW on a track day and get the most performance out of it. So if you’re an M2 Competition owner and want to really see what your car can do, make sure you invest in the right tires.

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