Spring Fling - We play with a BMW M2

SpringFling!

A month ahead of the Spring Equinox we tested a BMW M2 in Canada

It may not have been Spring but it sure did feel like it! Normally average temperatures around Toronto are just above the freezing mark but this year theyjumped into the low double digits Celsius, for me t-shirtor sweatshirt weather. It also turned out to be anopportunity to test a 2017 BMW M2.Our Project 3ThirtyFive threw a wobbly as I was headingto Pfaff BMW in Mississauga when I was heading to gofor lunch with an old friend, Matthew Kilkenny who isnow the General Manager there. Matt was good enoughto get the 335i into the shop to see if the technicianscould find the problem as we went for our lunch meeting.On our return they had some ideas but would needmore time to properly diagnose the problem. Matt againstepped up to the plate and arranged a loaner to allowme to go to another meeting I had scheduled for theFriday afternoon. On my return to Pfaff in Mississaugathe news I was expecting was confirmed, a new waterpump and thermostat was needed. The problem was itwas 4:00pm Friday and it was a holiday weekend, soPfaff would not be able to get the parts until Tuesday.Oh well, it was time for a taxi home and my trusty F350Dually would be at hand.Not so! Matt said keep the X3 I had for my meeting andthen he looked out to the fore court and said, “Unlessyou want to take the M2? The weather is going to begreat, perfect to try out an M2” I confirmed he was notpulling my leg and tried not to shout “Sure, where doI sign up?” When you consider this was in a dealershipwhere I had never been before I was impressed, eventhough Matthew is a friend I did not expect or ask forthis great support. When I then said, “In fact it gives methe opportunity to write an article about a BMW I havenever driven before”, he made a point that an article wasnot necessary. But I will say at this point “Yes it is!” Youcould not get the smile off my face all weekend when Iwas in the car and that is something I wanted to pass onto other lovers of the brand.Helping me out on the Saturday shoot was my twelveyear-old nephew Sam Moore who is turning into a bit of acar freak and like me he gave the M2 two big thumbs upafter our trip to Glen Eden to shoot the car.

Interior The M steering wheel is branded with the M stripes but who knows the origin of those three iconic BMW M colors? It all started when BMW partnered with Texaco Oil in the early days of M cars being raced. The Red stripe was for them. Blue came from not only from BMW but Bavaria where the company is based. The Purple represented the partnership between the two and made for the perfect transition between the Red and Blue. Interestingly enough when the BMW and Texaco partnership ended, BMW was forced to buyout the rights to the Red portion from Texaco to allow them to continue used what now was a symbol of speed, performance and BMW. The sport seats are easily set to the optimum position for the perfect driving experience. They are trimmed in blue only. Dry carbon lines the center console, door pulls and parts of the dash. Tucked away in the right hand drink tray is the activator for the BMW M Performance exhaust this car was equipped with. Two pushes of the button and all hell breaks loose. Only for off-road use of course! An alcantra panel with blue stitching sets off the door card and takes away from a total plastic look, as does the carbon fiber door pull. The 3.5 section storage at the bottom of the door has to be one on the most useful I have come across even though it intrudes into the cabin space. Located above the door card near the outside mirror is two of the Harmon Kardon® twelve speakers that come as part of the surround sound system. The electronically adjustable driver’s seat enables to different drivers to save their individual settings for the position of the seat, backrest, steering column and exterior mirrors. Pressing your assigned button returns all the setting to your personal positions. The adjustable bolsters really worked well with the health issues I am having and the original setting was putting strain on my ribs. I found the buttons, figured out which was which and immediately got comfortable.

On the Road!

The M2 is the replacement for the much-lamented limited edition 1 Series M Coupe that BMW produced back in 2011/12, producing only 2,700 units globally and 983 produced 03/2011 through 12/2011 for North America with the first production delivery going into the hands of Mississauga based Derek Johnston, the owner of JRP Performance. Designed to be more of a track toy than the 1 Series M Coupe or its slightly larger brothers the M3/M4, the M2 is a fine blend of gentile, civilized transportation that when required grows horns and puts a smile on the face of any driver lucky enough to sit behind the wheel. Even rough bumpy country roads were no challenge to the M2 even with all that rubber on the road. It is perfectly at home going to the supermarket as it is pounding out laps around a challenging racetrack like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. I feel the M2 is more of a true M car than the other overweight offerings BMW’s M division has released lately. It truly defines BMW’s ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ moniker that for some reason no longer seems to be true. That is not to say there is not a place for those cars but I believe the M2 extends the racing heritage that BMW has been so proud off in the past. For those in the market for the hot hatch type of car this is a perfect choice but without the hatch. It is small and nimble which makes it enjoyable in the city but becomes a perfect toy to carve the cones at the local autocross. If you’re not into parking lots and short and twisties, the M2 has the grunt to excel on the big tracks during HPDE events our track days. It really works well in all situations.

Pfaff and Fellows get together

The names Pfaff and Fellows are synonomous with Canadian racing, only in this case it is not former Le Mans winner Ron but his son Sam who in recent years has used a ChumpCar program to advance his driving career. Sam stepped into one of the Pfaff M235iRs and won on his debut in the Canadian Touring Car Championship. He then went on to run the CSCS and finished second in Unlimited RWD on his debut in the series. Watch for an article in the next issue of the magazine.