- GTR II follows on from the less extreme 560 unveiled in February.
- Tuned S58 inline-six makes 705 hp and 627 lb-ft.
- Track-ready interior gains a cage and harnesses, loses the rear seats.
When even the stock BMW M2 is such an eyeful, Manhart was always going to have to go all-in to make its version stand out, and the tuning firm’s new MH2 GTR II doesn’t disappoint.
The German tuner is already offering an upgrade package for the G87 M2, but the MH2 560 revealed in February seems almost reserved next to the GTR II. While the 560 was painted a moody black that almost conceals the carbon fiber body modifications, the GTR II shouts loud and proud about its mods with a coat of deliciously OTT magenta paint set against champagne-colored Manhart decals.
Related: Manhart’s 552-HP BMW M2 Looks Sinister With Carbon Bits And 21-Inch Wheels
Visual upgrades include a new hood trim, bumper inserts, front spoiler and grille, all made from carbon, plus a huge fixed rear wing and Alpha-N diffuser. There are also new side skirts and Raffa Wheels RFS-02 Forged Series rims that measure 20×10.5 inches at the nose and 21×11.5 at the rear, colored to match the body decals.
Tucking those wheels deep into the arches is a Manhart Variant 4 coilover suspension kit by KW that ought to improve the car’s handling on track, where the stripped-down interior should feel equally at home. Manhart has deleted the rear seats and added a roll bar – champagne-colored, again – and Schroth harnesses.
No car that makes this kind of visual statement can get away with a stock engine, or even a mildly tuned one. The M2’s 3.0-liter S58 six generates 453 hp (460 PS) from the factory and Manhart’s MH2 560 pumps out, as its name suggests, 560 metric ponies, which is 552 hp. But the GTR II leaves both looking like three-cylinder city cars with its 705 hp (715 PS) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) figures. Perhaps surprisingly, Manhart says all it did to achieve those numbers was remap the ECU and add a carbon intake and performance exhaust.
Customers looking to get a taste of this package for their own M2 get to choose from several exhausts, the fully legal TÜV-approved version consisting of sports downpipes, HJS cats, a stainless steel system with valve-control and four matte black 100 mm (3.9 inches) tailpipes. Those unbothered by clean air standards and a clean driving record, or living in countries with a similar attitude, can go more extreme with a set of race downpipes without cats and a DPF delete kit.
