BMW M is always cooking. Bavaria’s go-faster division is relentless in its quest to extract more performance from the M2. Although the “G87” formula has already been elevated a couple of times, there’s still more to come. 2026 will be a big year for the sports coupe, and not just because of a highly probable xDrive version.
Until Munich confirms an all-paw M2, one thing is certain: a Track Package is coming next year. It’s already been officially announced, though BMW M remains tight-lipped about specifics. New spy photos shot at and around the Nürburgring show the same car featured in the teaser images.
But there’s a twist. For the first time, the test vehicle sports large front canards, aka aero wings, aka dive planes, aka aero flics. These are part of a broader aerodynamic body kit featuring a prominent rear wing and a subtle front spoiler lip. Elsewhere, the Sao Paulo Yellow prototype rides on the familiar 827M wheels.
Although BMW already offers M Performance Parts for the M2, the upgrades seen on this partially camouflaged car aren’t currently available. The existing catalog includes a coilover suspension that lowers the front/rear axles by 20 mm/25 mm, respectively. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if a different setup is being developed specifically for the Track Package.
Since the upgrades are described as a “street-legal track day package,” BMW might offer them as retrofits for existing cars rather than restricting the pack to newly built ones. Either way, the use of the word “package” suggests it won’t be a standalone model. Instead, it might end up as an optional kit for the regular M2. By the time the Track Package arrives, the spicy M2 CS will likely have completed its limited production run, leaving only the standard car.
It’ll be interesting to see whether a non-CS M2 with the Track Package can beat the Competition Sport’s Nürburgring lap time. To do so, it would need to lap the Green Hell in under 7 minutes and 25.5 seconds, but with 50 fewer horses and a bit of extra weight. Perhaps BMW doesn’t want to upset M2 CS owners. Whatever the case, a hardcore CSL would rule them all, provided it happens.
In the meantime, the Track Package should be compatible with both manual and automatic M2s, as its focus will be on aerodynamics and suspension. For those looking to go all-in and lose the road-legal status in the process, there’s the M2 Racing. It’s a track-only machine priced just under €100,000. As a reminder, the race car swaps the inline-six for the smaller B48 to reduce running costs and cut weight.
[Photos: instagram.com/RingPrototypes]
