BMW's M2 ‘track day package' is about to make you forget about the CS
Simply called the 'track day package', BMW M has shown it off in official (albeit camouflaged) images already, though now we can see the kitted-out M2 on its natural stomping ground of the Nurburgring.
What we can see on this test car is pretty significant in terms of aerodynamics. That huge swan-neck rear wing will have raised hopes that the car was in fact an M2 CSL variant. The front bumper, meanwhile, has gained a low splitter and camouflage suggests the front and rear wheel arches might be a little wider. Advertisement - Article continues below
It's not clear whether the track day package is fitted to the standard car or the new CS. There's no ducktail rear spoiler (which features rather prominently on the CS) and the rear diffuser doesn't have the CS' central spline, though the staggered (19-inch front and 20-inch rear) forged wheels have been taken from the CS. BMW has also added the emissions and efficiency figures of the standard M2 to its 'track day package' teaser post.
As a reminder the BMW M2 CS gets a straight-six, twin-trubocharged three-litre engine with 530bhp and 650Nm of torque for a zero to 62mph time of 3.8 seconds. The standard M2 is no slouch, taking 0.2 seconds longer to complete the sprint thanks to a less powerful iteration of the same engine with 473bhp and 650Nm of torque.
The timing of the M2 track day package's arrival is quite interesting, given the recently-launched M2 CS just set a record for 'compact cars' around the 12.9-mile Nurburgring circuit in 7:25.5 minutes. We'll have to wait and see if those modifications can get the standard car close to the CS' time or make the CS even faster.
Buy a car with Auto Express. Our nationwide dealer network has some fantastic cars on offer right now with new, used and leasing deals to choose from...
Find a car with the experts New Xiaomi YU7 2025 review: a world-beating new EV to worry the establishment
New Xiaomi YU7 2025 review: a world-beating new EV to worry the establishment
BMW or Mercedes would do anything to keep the new Xiaomi YU7 from sale in the UK and Europe, and this is why Electric Car Grant in detail: Which cars will get the UK EV discount?
Electric Car Grant in detail: Which cars will get the UK EV discount?
The government has set out its plan to help reduce the cost of affordable EVs by introducing a new £3,750 Electric Car Grant for new EVs sold under £3… Electric Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake will keep going long after rivals need to stop
Electric Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake will keep going long after rivals need to stop
The second of Merc's new-era EVs is here in the form of an attractive estate with a huge range
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
26 minutes ago
- Reuters
England coach Wiegman has learned to enjoy the good times
ZURICH, July 25 (Reuters) - Sarina Wiegman sang a celebratory song in her native Dutch when England clinched a spot in the Euro 2025 final. She attempted to high-five assistant Darren Ward, but missed. She admitted she planned to treat herself with a "glass of something nice." If England's women's coach was reserved when hired in 2021, she said she has grown into the role, and her passion has been on full display at the Euros, particularly through two nail-biting knockout victories in which the Lionesses were on the brink of elimination. "First of all, my English has improved, so I understand a lot more, but also you learn more about people you work with," she said on Friday. "You learn more again about yourself and while I'm always working on developing the team, I always try to keep developing myself. "What I really wanted to do over all these years is try to enjoy it a little bit more, you have to be focused in this job, but you need to celebrate the moments that are good, it's really nice." As England get ready to contest their third successive major final on Sunday, when they face world champions Spain in the Euro 2025 showpiece, Wiegman's players have described her as a second mum -- direct and demanding but caring and supportive. Ella Toone said the coach has been kind-hearted in the midfielder's first major tournament after the death of her father. Aggie Beever-Jones said after England's loss to France in their Euro opener, Wiegman put a consolatory arm around her and explained her reasons for not playing her in the game. Midfielder Keira Walsh called her "one of the best managers I've played for in terms of trying to make everyone feel loved". "It's a really difficult job when you're in a tournament, and obviously people want to play, people aren't, but she really, really cares about the human side," Walsh said. "Another thing that you notice when you play for her is how calm she is. It makes a massive difference in the 95th minute when you're losing 1-0, and you look to the side and she's very calm." Wiegman said the job can be a difficult balance. "I'm a caring person, so maybe that's the part, I care about them but at the same time I'm the coach, I'm making these hard decisions at the moment," she said. On Sunday, Wiegman will become the first person, in men's or women's soccer, to have coached teams in five consecutive major tournament finals. The 55-year-old, who is under contract through the 2027 World Cup, guided her native Netherlands to two finals before continuing that run with Euro 2022 champions England. Football Association executive Mark Bullingham said they will not let Wiegman leave for any amount of money, and Wiegman certainly does not sound like she is going anywhere. "I'm sorry, I'm still learning English but yes I have (fallen in love) with England," Wiegman said. "Otherwise I would not be sitting here with such a smile on my face. "This team has always shown so much resilience, I see that in abundance and I see that entirely through the prism of the Lionesses. They are absolutely the most resilient of people. They really want to work so hard and are so committed."
BBC News
26 minutes ago
- BBC News
Larsen among Newcastle options - Saturday's gossip
Newcastle are considering Jorgen Strand Larsen as a potential Alexander Isak replacement, Manchester City want defender Tino Livramento and Bayern Munich resume talks with Liverpool to sign Luis Diaz. Newcastle United have a strong interest in Wolves' 25-year-old Norway forward Jorgen Strand Larsen as a possible replacement if Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 25, decides to leave this summer. (Express & Star, external)England striker Callum Wilson, 33, has agreed personal terms with West Ham after leaving Newcastle at the end of his contract last month. (Talksport, external)Manchester City have made a fresh approach for Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento and are willing to pay more than £50m for the 22-year-old England international. (TBR Football, external)Bayern Munich have resumed talks with Liverpool over a deal for Luis Diaz but the Bundesliga club are yet to submit a second bid for the 28-year-old Colombia winger. (Athletic - subscription required, external)Two of Saudi Pro League's top clubs are interested in signing Antony from Manchester United as a return to Real Betis, where the 25-year-old Brazil winger spent last season on loan, looks unrealistic. (Sky Sports, external)England left-back Luke Shaw will also listen to offers from clubs in Saudi Arabia as the 30-year-old is ready to quit Manchester United after 11 seasons at Old Trafford. (Sun, external)Manchester United have had a loan bid rejected for 32-year-old Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. (Sun), externalChelsea have had a bid of more than £60m turned down by Juventus for 20-year-old Turkey forward Kenan Yildiz. (La Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian, external)Fulham are set to complete their first signing of the summer with French goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, 34, joining from Montpellier. (Standard), externalEverton have added Southampton's 19-year-old English winger Tyler Dibling to their list of targets as they look to strengthen their options on the flanks. (Times - subscription required, external)Leeds United have made a bid in excess of £26m for Feyenoord winger Igor Paixao, but Roma have joined Marseille among clubs interested in the 25-year-old Brazilian. (Sky Sports, external)
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
ANNE ASHWORTH reveals the benefits of investing in UK firms
To date, the undisputed leaders of the artificial intelligence industrial revolution have been US tech titans like the mighty Microsoft and Nvidia. But also in contention are a group of FTSE 100 firms that are deploying AI to make the maximum use of data for the benefit of grateful customers. These British 'tech-enabled' names include Auto Trader, the £7.2billion online car marketplace, and Experian the £49.9billion credit information group. Also on the British 'tech-enabled' list is the property portal Rightmove on whose app and website the nation spends close to 17billion minutes every year. It makes sense to wager on the Magnificent Seven of tech. But there is also a strong argument for diversifying into the British names making strides in AI. This week, the FTSE 100 has reached a record high. The index could scale further heights, if the recognition grows that Britain is not being left behind in the AI revolution. If you want to take advantage of this disruption, here are some of the shares to back. AUTO TRADER There are 81m visits every month to the Auto Trader website, the largest in the market thanks to its compendious data on every aspect of a new or second-hand vehicle. The company has been dubbed the 'king of the virtual forecourt'. In 2024, the company introduced CoDriver, a range of AI-powered products that make searching easier and adverts look more attractive. Ben Derber, analyst at Rathbones Investment Management, says CoDriver is helping retailers get their adverts live more quickly, leading to consistently high levels of engagement from customers. Auto Trader is seen as a quality company, with its good cash flow and an impressive ROCE (return on capital employed); this is a measure of how a business uses its capital to produce profits. These factors suggest that it is the kind of business that belongs in your portfolio for the long-term. The share price is 835.8p. Analysts have set a target price of 853p, with the most optimistic forecasting a rise to 1040p. But, in the near future, the shares may pause for breath because Auto Trader's ARPR – average revenue per retailer – is disappointing at present. A shortage of used cars means that they are selling faster than before. EXPERIAN Experian moved beyond being just a credit reference agency to become a business that empowers lenders in the UK, Europe, US, Latin America, India and Singapore to make better decisions. Matt Britzman of Hargreaves Lansdown says: 'Experian is a global information services company specialising in data analytics, credit reporting, and identity verification.' But borrowers also want a good deal and Experian is exploiting this opportunity. Britzman adds: 'With financial literacy becoming more widespread, Experian is well-positioned to capitalise, offering tools that empower consumers to manage their credit and financial health more effectively.' As Derber points out, Experian has been using AI for more than a decade, and is now working with generative AI to offer digital assistant services to consumers and banks and finance firms. Nine of the 17 analysts that follow Experian rate the shares – which stand at 4056p – a 'buy'. Recently, Bank of America has raised its target price to 4900p, while Goldman Sachs is even more enthusiastic, setting a target of 5550p. LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has hit the headlines this month over a proposed plan to provide 24-hour trading – a result of pressure from small investors who want to buy and sell stocks at all hours, apparently. But the operation of the London bourse, although vital to the UK economy, is a minor activity for LSEG when compared with the selling of financial data to banks, brokers and others. The supply of this information will be vastly increased thanks to a ten-year partnership with Microsoft in which generative AI is playing a crucial role. Matthew Page, manager of the Guinness Global Innovators Fund says that the link with Microsoft gives LSEG 'serious competitive advantage' since it can embed cutting-edge generative AI into its products. Microsoft has a 4 per cent stake in LSEG. This vote of confidence may be one of the reasons why analysts rate the shares a 'buy'. The price is 10,090p, with the most optimistic brokers targeting 12,600p. RELX Until a decade ago Relx (pronounced Rel-ex) was known as Reed Elsevier. The change of name reflected the move from publishing into analytics, for which demand continues to grow – especially when that data is amplified by AI. Relx is a vital source for scientific researchers suffering from information overload. But there is a particular clamour, too, for the legal research tool Lexis+. AI is also accelerating growth at Relx's risk division. This arm of the £70.99billion business caters for companies that want to prevent digital fraud. But Relx is not just about analytics, it is one of the world's top events organisers, running exhibitions and shows in 25 countries. Analysts are positive about Relx's prospects, rating the shares a 'buy' with an average target price of 4428p, against the current 3937p. JP Morgan is even more sanguine about Relx's future, having raised its target price from 4630p to 4890p earlier this month. RIGHTMOVE The British are already obsessed with property. But, as Derber explains, Rightmove is deepening the connection through AI, introducing internal improvements in the speed of the introduction of new features, and supplying such extras as personalised property recommendations. He expects that the £6.1billion company, founded in 2020, will unveil further ways to ensure that we spend even more of our lives on Rightmove. The most popular moment to visit the website or app is 8.59am on Monday morning, as people start work but seek consolation in pictures of desirable residences. Rightmove shares have risen by 21 per cent this year to 780.4p, spurred by hopes that an easing of interest rates will encourage house hunters. Analysts rate shares a 'hold' since future growth is already priced into the stock. But Duncan Green, manager of the Schroder UK Multi-Cap Income Fund, which owns a slice of Rightmove, makes the case for the shares. He considers the company to deliver 'a rare level of efficiency and profitability', while also offering an income through dividends and share buybacks. If AI is making you and your friends look at Rightmove even more than before, consider taking a chance on the shares on the basis that others will be doing the same.
