There is something quite eerie about hurtling around the Kyalami racetrack at high speed in a BMW M3 - while the driver casually carries on a conversation as if you were seated comfortably at a table, enjoying a cup of coffee.
It's the BMW M season at the M Fest in Kyalami
In this case, though, the driver was newly crowned DTM Champion Sheldon van der Linde, flown out from Germany with the winner’s champagne barely dry on his overalls to be part of the global reveal of the new BMW M2 at the BMW M Fest at Kyalami.
South African ‘Beemer’ fans attending the monster event were the first to see the new M2 in the flesh, and they should be since the South African version of M Fest is the biggest in the world.
Also, while the M2 is better, faster and has all the good things found in a new generation model launch, this version is rear-wheel drive only and comes with a manual transmission as an option.
According to Frank van Meel the managing director of BMW’s M division, customer input from South Africa inspired the inclusion of the manual option, which is a core market for ‘M’ cars.
BMW SA CEO Peter van Binsbergen
“We take customer input very seriously when working on new models or updates,” he says. “South Africa is such a big market for us it was impossible not to take cognisance of what our fans in your country wanted from an ‘M’ car.”
And the M2 was not the only speedster unveiled at the event – present media got a quick look at the new M4 CSL, with only 1000 to hit the market, and the entire South African allocation sold out within days of the announcement.
The car we saw was a customer car on loan for the occasion and just for photographs.
Also new, and not restricted in numbers, is the XM – a V8-powered high-end luxury hybrid SUV that is very much on the radar for local launch – and, again, greater detail in a separate story.
M Fest is all about celebrating the history and future of the performance division of BMW. The ‘M’ division, founded by Jochen Neerpasch, produces road cars born from BMW’s racing heritage and will continue to do so even as the world moves further into electrification.
DTM Champion Sheldon van der Linde
“BMW has four pillars – internal combustion engines (ICE), hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles and remains convinced there is a major future for hydrogen vehicles,” says Peter van Binsbergen, Managing Director of BMW South Africa.
BMW has decided to maintain ICE production for its customers for as long as they are in demand while continuing the development of other forms of power.
Van Meel added: “At BMW M, we are also looking ahead and are intent on maintaining the heritage and ethos of the ‘M’ cars while incorporating the new technologies. In other words, an electric M3 must look, feel, and act like its ICE counterpart.”
Carshop will provide full details of the M2 in a separate story – it is formally being launched for sale only next year.
