One of the de rigeur venues practically every manufacturer chooses to test their new cars, irrespective of segment, is the most demanding track in the world: the Nurburgring Norschleife. Unlike, say, city cars or SUVs, though, sports cars really belong there – thus it’s only natural for some of them to try and post a fast lap.

One of them is, undeniably, the BMW M2 CS, which was put through its paces at the ‘Ring by SportAuto’s Christian Gebhardt.

The skilled driver posted a lap time of 7 minutes and 42.99, which is comparable to the 996 generation of the Porsche GT3 RS driven by the legendary Walter Rohrl who did a 7:43.00, according to FastestLaps. The second generation Aston Martin Vantage, original Audi R8 V10 and Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 Black Series crossed the finish line in 7:43.92, 7:44.00 and 7:45.00 respectively.

Watch Also: Should You Go For The “Regular” BMW M2 Instead Of The M2 Competition?

As impressive as it is, the 7:42.99 lap time posted by the Germans was not quick enough to beat the Audi RS Q8 (7:42.25), nor the Porsche Cayman GT4 (7:42.00) or Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (7:41.27). Perhaps more telling is the fact that the M2 CS could not go anywhere near the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R, which is the official front-wheel drive king at the Nurburgring, with a time of 7:40.10 posted by Laurent Hurgon.

With the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six from the M3 and M4, the M2 CS boasts 444 HP (450 PS / 331 kW) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque. The engine can be paired to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, enabling a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) acceleration of 4.0 seconds in the former and 3.8 seconds in the latter, while in both cases top speed stands at 174 mph (280 km/h).

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