Fans’ favorite E30 M3 could serve as an inspiration for a variant of the upcoming BMW M2. According to BMW Group design director Adrian van Hooydonk. “The E30 M3 has a really big fan base, and we are going to be taking cues from it for a future product,” he said.
For Autocar, Hooydonk wouldn’t elaborate on which model might get the E30 M3 treatment, but the one model that fits the profile is the new M2 which will be released in November of this year.
The M2 is expected to produce around 370 hp from a new 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that is unrelated to the powertrains fitted to the bigger M3 and M4 models. The E30-inspired M2, maybe labeled M2 CSL, could feature design cues like distinctive wheelarches creasing and a wing, while all the aerodynamic parts will be fixed. “With M cars, we try to get the downforce right without moveable aero. It’s the most authentic way,” said Hooydonk.
Weight saving play an import role in BMW’s future product strategy and M cars already feature carbon fiber and composite plastics. Hooydonk added “I’d have to give Colin Chapman the credit for the ‘performance through light weight’ mantra, but that was another big factor for the E30, and that is also a priority for us.”
A lightweight M2 should come in at closer to 1400 kg.
The expectations are that the special M2 would arrive next year to celebrate the company’s 100th birthday.
