Hand-Painted BMW M2 To Debut Today, Previews Limited Edition Model

Three examples of the M2 Competition have been sacrificed for the sake of art, as BMW has given international contemporary artist FUTURA 2000 access to the sports coupe.

Set to be unveiled later today at 2:30 p.m. in Los Angeles (5:30 p.m. EST), at Paramount Studious’ Blacklot, these vehicles have been hand-painted by the artist at the company’s headquarters in Munich and represent his “unique artistic vision”.

Watch Also: New BMW M2 Competition Isn’t (All) About That M3 Engine

Born Leonard Hilton McGurr, FUTURA 2000 is a graffiti pioneer of the 1980s. His approach on the street is described as “radical”, as he introduced “abstraction to an entirely letter-based discipline”. McGurr became part of a wider movement that included other street artists, such as Dondi White, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.

The artsy M2 Competition will preview a special edition version that will launch later this year. Details as to what exactly BMW’s M division will be doing to it are unknown at the moment, yet we do expect a special paint scheme, at the very least.

The 3.0-liter M TwinPower Turbo inline six-cylinder engine, sourced from the M3 and M4, should remain stock, delivering 405 horsepower and 405 pound-feet (549 Nm) of torque. The M2 Competition can sprint from nought to 60 mph (0-96 km/h) in just 4.2 seconds and up to 155 mph (250 km/h), which can be optionally increased to 174 mph (280 km/h). The engine comes paired to a standard six-speed stick shift, but customers can spec it with the seven-speed DCT too.

Pricing for the M2 Competition starts at $58,900 in the United States.