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FEATURE
When the BMW M2 just isn't enough for a prolific modifier
Published Tue, Jan 5, 2021 10:00 AM
The BMW M2 Competition is almost unique in the modern marketplace. It’s small, rear-wheel-drive, and angry. The standard car wasn’t enough for Anton Harnie though, who decided his pocket rocket needed more. Much more...
WHO?
Anton Harnie is, like most of us, a dyed-in-the-wool petrolhead. The 42-year-old has owned a whole host of awesome cars, including an aired-out 123d Coupe, which was well known on the European scene, but since he saw the concept for the M2 on the drawing board, he knew he had to have one. It was his ultimate. Well, a few years ago, the Brussels native hunkered down and treated himself to a gorgeous grey M2.
The M2 did him fine, for a while, but once he heard BMW were releasing a Competition version of their feisty little coupe, he knew he had to have one. With an extra turbo over the standard M2, along with some fancy electronic trickery going on with the rear diff and a “looser” traction control, the Comp is a rear driver’s car.
WHAT?
With 404bhp through the rear wheels in a car akin in dimensions to a widened shoe box, its enough of a handful for most mortals on the public roads. But not Anton. In the words of the deity that is Jeremy Clarkson, Anton wanted “powerrrr!”
The S55 twin-turbo, ripped straight from the F80 M3 and F82 M4 and shoehorned into the front of BMW’s baby coupe, is a tuner’s dream. Capable of seeing significant power increases simply with the right mods, Anton knew he was on to a winner when he picked up his little Comp in 2019.
Thanks to the addition of s set of VRSF downpipes, AA midpipes, and Burkhart Engineering exhaust goodies, coupled with a good hard session on the dyno, Anton’s monster now sees a frankly ridiculous 550bhp fed through the rear wheels.
But it's not all go and no show, because he’s made a few subtle mods to get his blue beast looking exactly how he wants it. Wanting nothing but the best, Anton contacted BMW for some of their Exterior Carbon Pack trinkets, including the front splitter, mirror caps, and rear diffuser, which offset that incredibly deep Long Beach Blue hue perfectly. The whole package is just sublime.
Not wanting to lose the legendary handling of the M2 Comp, but insisting it was closer to terrafirma than BMW intended, Anton soured himself a set of KW’s class-leading V3 coilovers-before cutting them to pieces and converting them to air ride, utilising Accuair’s incredible management system. Make no mistake, he’s not shy of spending on the right kit. To finish it off, Anton opted for a set of Brixton’s super strong but mega light forged 3-piece hoops, in 19” flavour, with 9”s upfront and daft wide 11.5” bringing up the rear.
WHAT?
With 404bhp through the rear wheels in a car akin in dimensions to a widened shoe box, its enough of a handful for most mortals on the public roads. But not Anton. In the words of the deity that is Jeremy Clarkson, Anton wanted “powerrrr!”
The S55 twin-turbo, ripped straight from the F80 M3 and F82 M4 and shoehorned into the front of BMW’s baby coupe, is a tuner’s dream. Capable of seeing significant power increases simply with the right mods, Anton knew he was on to a winner when he picked up his little Comp in 2019.
Thanks to the addition of s set of VRSF downpipes, AA midpipes, and Burkhart Engineering exhaust goodies, coupled with a good hard session on the dyno, Anton’s monster now sees a frankly ridiculous 550bhp fed through the rear wheels.
But it's not all go and no show, because he’s made a few subtle mods to get his blue beast looking exactly how he wants it. Wanting nothing but the best, Anton contacted BMW for some of their Exterior Carbon Pack trinkets, including the front splitter, mirror caps, and rear diffuser, which offset that incredibly deep Long Beach Blue hue perfectly. The whole package is just sublime.
Not wanting to lose the legendary handling of the M2 Comp, but insisting it was closer to terrafirma than BMW intended, Anton soured himself a set of KW’s class-leading V3 coilovers-before cutting them to pieces and converting them to air ride, utilising Accuair’s incredible management system. Make no mistake, he’s not shy of spending on the right kit. To finish it off, Anton opted for a set of Brixton’s super strong but mega light forged 3-piece hoops, in 19” flavour, with 9”s upfront and daft wide 11.5” bringing up the rear.
HOW?
Fancy an M2 Comp? Of course you do, because they’re one of the best cars on the market today. Starting at £50k for a manual version, adding the trick DCT transmission will cost you another £3k. If you don’t want to go new, you can pick up an early 2018 car from around the £40k-ish mark, with normal M2s kicking off around £22k.
WHERE?
Anton’s car was shot by Mike Crawat-one of Europe’s foremost photographers of incredible cars. You can check out his work over at www.mikecrawat.com
SPECS
Manufacturer: BMW
Model: M2 Competition Pack
Powertrain: 3.0 inline-6 twin-turbo, RWD with factory LSD, VRSF downpipes, AA midpipes, Burkhart Engineering hardware
Suspension: KW V3 modified with Accuair management
Brakes: Factory
Wheels: Brixton Forged, 19x9” front & 19x11.5” rear
Outside: Long Beach Blue, BMW Carbon Front Lip, mirror covers, rear diffuser
Inside: Factory
