For 17 years, BMW has supported the MotoGP racing series with a variety of track vehicles, including safety cars, medical machines and more. In recent times, this association has given us the astonishing M4 Coupé Safety Car, which boasted water injection to raise its power - a feature that road-going customers will now benefit from on the forthcoming M4 GTS. So it gives us great pleasure to announce the latest MotoGP vehicle: the M2 Safety Car.
Ah, what technical delights does this thing hide?
Oh. Well, it has BMW M Performance coilover suspension and a set of prototype carbon ceramic brakes, while there's an M Performance exhaust system with carbon fibre tips. Other than that, it's the standard M2 powertrain, although when you've got 370hp, 465Nm and the ability to get from 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds (the Safety Car is a DCT-equipped model), pace is not an issue.
So what else does the M2 possess?
It's kind of a moving model for the M Performance catalogue. The Alpine White M2, clothed in superb M tricolour stripes and 'Safety Car' stickers, has a gold theme - the colour is used externally on the alloys (which are clothed in Michelin Cup rubber), the brake callipers and the rear wing mounts, while inside, the M4 GTS-inspired roll cage, seat brackets, steering wheel spokes and the stitching for the seats/dash are all the same hue. There's even a nice gold plaque on the dash, highlighting the M2 Safety Car's one-of-a-kind nature.
The seats and the steering wheel look great - can I buy them for my M2?
You're getting an M2?! We're incredibly jealous. The seats are Recaro motorsport items with Schroth harnesses, which might not be the most practical for popping down to Tesco for some milk, but yes, the Alcantara steering wheel is another M Performance gem. As are the stainless steel pedals, floor mats and the carbon fibre trim. Which reminds us...
Reminds you what?
Carbon is used elsewhere. Extensively. The side skirts, mirror caps, blades of the front aero package, rear diffuser, prototype front splitter and rear wing plane are all made of the stuff, along with those aforementioned exhaust tips; all of the above are M Performance items. Gloss-black detailing can also be seen on the M Performance Air Breather and front grilles. And behind those grilles are some lights.
Ah, the flashing ones the M2 needs when it's in action?
Indeed. LEDs are used for these duties, with similar tech hidden away in the rear lamps and mounted on a bespoke bracket for the roof pod. As far as we're aware, these won't be included in the M Performance catalogue.
Shame, I'd have like to have fitted those. Anything else you can add?
The M2 Safety Car has a motorsport lock on its bonnet, and it is equipped with a battery master switch and fuel pumping device so it can be safely air-freighted around the globe with the MotoGP series. This wonderful Safety Car joins the M4, M3, X5 M, M550d xDrive Touring and M5 as part of the BMW support fleet for the 2016 championship.
