The 2026 BMW M2 Turbo Design Version: A Hand-Painted Homage to a Legend

BMW M has unveiled the 2026 M2 Turbo Design Version, a limited-run mannequin that attracts its inspiration from the 1974–75 BMW 2002 turbo. Revealed at Street Atlanta throughout Motul Petit Le Mans, that is much less about chasing new efficiency data and extra about reinterpreting a pivotal second in BMW’s historical past.

Completed solely in Alpine White, every automobile receives hand-painted BMW Motorsport stripes that hint the hood, roof, and decklid. The reversed “turbo” lettering on the hood, a devoted nod to the 2002 turbo, stays the visible centerpiece. A carbon fiber roof panel with built-in M tricolor stripes and a carbon M Efficiency rear spoiler full the look. It’s retro with precision, but in addition restrained—evoking heritage moderately than recreating it wholesale.

The Echo of 1973

The unique 2002 turbo was Europe’s first manufacturing automobile to characteristic turbocharging when it debuted on the 1973 Frankfurt Auto Present. Its 2.0-liter four-cylinder produced 170 horsepower, a placing determine for its time, and made clear that BMW’s small sedans may carry critical intent. It additionally established the visible cues—the graphics, the stance, the purposeful aggression—that might outline the model’s sporting identification for many years.

Half a century later, the M2 Turbo Design Version channels that very same DNA, albeit by way of a recent lens. Beneath the hood is the acquainted 3.0-liter S58 inline-six producing 473 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque, paired solely with a six-speed guide transmission. There are not any mechanical upgrades, and that feels deliberate. This version is about design and sentiment, not lap occasions.

A Rigorously Curated Spec Sheet

BMW’s configuration selections listed below are telling. The Turbo Design Version arrives nicely outfitted with M Sport seats trimmed in black Vernasca leather-based with delicate M-color highlights, carbon fiber inside trim, Adaptive Full LED lights with Shadowline accents, and a heated Alcantara M steering wheel.

For individuals who desire a sharper edge, M Carbon bucket seats may be added for $4,500, together with Matte Gold Bronze 1000M wheels for $6,266, and the M Driver’s Package deal for $2,500. These choices are visually dramatic however arguably extra about theater than authenticity. The gold wheels, particularly, flirt with nostalgia however really feel trendy in execution—much less 1973, extra 2026 showroom centerpiece.

Between Heritage and Advertising

Priced at $82,900 plus $1,175 vacation spot, the M2 Turbo Design Version doesn’t transfer the efficiency needle, however that isn’t its purpose. That is BMW’s manner of connecting its turbocharged previous to its current, reminding fanatics the place the M lineage began whereas acknowledging how far the model has developed.

Just like the 2002 turbo, it’s expressive moderately than extreme, a automobile that leans on identification and historical past greater than outright innovation. It might not push the M2 story ahead, however it frames the lineage with care—and in an period of fixed reinvention, that’s an announcement of its personal.

Our Take

Lately BMW M has proven a rising willingness to create particular version fashions to introduce fascinating design particulars. What makes this one fascinating is its give attention to M’s historical past and particularly one of many automobiles that laid the groundwork for all the M philosophy. And so they’re doing it not on a $150,000 mannequin however on M’s most attainable product.

The 2002 turbo predated M Division itself, but its affect is seen in each M automobile that adopted—compact proportions, direct steering, and a barely unruly character. The M2 Turbo Design Version may by no means absolutely seize that rawness, however it does one thing few trendy automobiles try: it connects immediately’s efficiency tradition again to the experimental spirit that outlined BMW’s rise. In an period when M’s identification is being stretched by electrification and luxurious, that reflection feels each well timed and needed.

Govt Abstract

Mannequin: 2026 BMW M2 Turbo Design Version
Manufacturing begin: January 2026
Deliveries: Early Q2 2026
Worth: $82,900 + $1,175 vacation spot
Engine: 3.0L S58 inline-six
Energy: 473 hp / 406 lb-ft
Transmission: 6-speed guide solely
0–60 mph: 4.1 seconds
High velocity: 155 mph (177 mph with M Driver’s Package deal)

Normal options:
Alpine White paint with hand-painted 2002 turbo-inspired graphics
Carbon fiber roof with built-in M striping
Carbon M Efficiency rear spoiler
Adaptive Full LED lighting with Shadowline accents
Carbon fiber inside trim
M Sport seats in black Vernasca leather-based with M-color highlights
Heated Alcantara M steering wheel
Dwell Cockpit Skilled with Head-Up Show
Wi-fi machine charging

Choices:
M Carbon bucket seats ($4,500)
M Driver’s Package deal ($2,500)
19/20-inch Matte Gold Bronze 1000M wheels ($6,266)

BMW M2 Turbo Version Gallery