As-new manual BMW M2 Competition for sale

It’s heartening to see a manual M2 still part of the BMW UK configurator. A welcome slice of old-school, straight-six coupe in a sea of X this and i that, even if it now costs £70k for the privilege. And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg as far as the tough sell goes; there’s no denying how well integrated the (cheaper) eight-speed auto is with the current M2 architecture, and even the most ardent fan would have to concede BMW manuals aren’t absolutely superb. So you don’t see many. And every person with one guarantees themselves legend status. 

Because even when the manual felt a better fit for the smallest M car, when the old-school transmission complemented the old-school scallywag nature, BMW didn’t sell very many six-speed M2s. Probably as the old seven-speed DCT was so good: faster, more efficient, pretty engaging as far as paddles go with the speed and drama of the shifts. However enthusiastically the manual was praised, even with its notchiness, the dual-clutch option was very hard to argue against. So that’s what people bought. 

That being said, it’s clear which M2s are going to be the most collectible going forward. The F87 Competition in particular already looks like a real sweet spot in modern M car history, more sophisticated and capable than a 1M Coupe (while retaining lots of the traditional feel), as well as simpler and prettier than a current M2. You’ll do well to track one down, however, especially a late one; on PH right now there are almost 50 M2s across both generations and just eight manuals. One is a new G87, three are originals, one is heavily modified, and three are manual Competitions. For the whole of the UK. 

This one is especially interesting, from the very last year of production (2020) and with both the M2 Plus Pack and self-healing PPF to add to its desirability alongside the manual. But it’s the mileage that’s most interesting, as it’s covered just 1,200 miles from new; the interior picture shows just 718 miles recorded. Whatever the actual figure, it’s as close to a brand-new old M2 as is surely now possible. 

We all know why that appeals so much. Look at the size of the car, the layout of the interior, the modest design flourishes. It’s classic BMW, but it also has CarPlay, heated seats, will do 30-odd mpg if you’re careful and not leak oil. These things aren’t perfect – the ride is pretty stern, and being lighter than the M2 doesn’t exactly make it slender – but fans of old M cars will love it. There’s a mega straight six in the nose, a six-speed in the middle and drive to the rear via a very good limited-slip diff. Sometimes charm needs to be no more complicated than that. 

Any buyer will want to check that the all-important running-in service has been done on this one and, even then, it’ll probably want a thorough fluid refresh if it’s been sat for a little while. Otherwise, with the mileage as it is, the M2 should want for nothing but an MOT and some good drives. While the asking price is now more than the original RRP of a few years back (told you they’d be collectible), it’s still almost £20,000 less than a new six-speed M2. The best kind of PH money-saving advice, basically.