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2014 BMW 2 Series configurator drifts online

Monday marked the official, live unveiling of the 2014 BMW 2 Series. Not a company to rest on its laurels, BMW has unveiled the online configurator for the replacement to the much-loved 1 Series. Potential customers can select from either the 228i or go all-out and get the M235i. We shouldn't have to explain which car we've been building all day.
As a recap, a base 228i starts at $32,100 not counting a $925 destination charge. It includes 240 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque and, when optioned with the six-speed manual rather than the eight-speed automatic, a perfect 50/50 weight distribution (the 8AT balances at 50.3 in front and 49.7 in back). The M235i, meanwhile, starts at $43,100 (although you can't actually buy one for that, because the configurator forces you into a $1,450 Dakota leather interior). It offers up significantly more grunt, with 320 hp and 320 lb-ft from its 3.0-liter, turbocharged straight six.
Click over to the configurator and play around.

EVO "2012 Car of the Year: The Track Battles" is a sports car salmagundi

EVO has come out with another gotta-watch-it video, throwing its 2012 Car of the Year contestants around the UK's 1.5-mile Blyton Park track. It's actually a 15-minute teaser for the full-length DVD detailing the magazine's Car of the Year selection, but the tease is worth every penny free second.
Tiff Needell and sports car racer Richard Meaden handle the wheel duties, the two driving five pairs of sports cars: Lotus Exige S vs. Porsche Boxster S, Morgan Three-Wheeler vs. Toyota GT86, BMW M135i vs. Porsche 911, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series vs. Alpina B3 GT3, the marquee event pits the McLaren MP4-12C vs. the Pagani Huayra. After a head-to-head lap with commentary during drifts, Meaden takes each car out to set a representative lap time.
You'll find the verdicts, lots of tire smoke, and lines like "Anything you can do sideways I can do sideways" in the video below.

BMW M2, we're happy to see you

I recently spent some time behind the wheel of the BMW M235i and, well, I didn't love it. Sure, it's a great car, but I just didn't truly bond with it the way I have with previous M cars. What I had hoped for was a proper successor to the 1 Series M Coupe I fell in love with in 2011, but what I got instead was just a sporty 2 Series that didn't exactly stir my emotions in the same way.
But now there's this: the honest-to-goodness BMW M2. Previously, spy photographers captured a development-mule M2, but this is the real thing, in its full prototype body. Notice the aggressive front fascia that mimics the M3/M4, the more more robust wheel/tire package, and the M-standard quad exhaust outlets around back. This thing sure does look the business.
Details are slim as of this writing, but rumors suggest power will come from BMW's now-ubiquitous N55 turbocharged 3.0-liter six, with output somewhere in the 360- to 380-horspower range. The seven-speed M dual-clutch transmission seems like a good fit here, too. As does a six-speed manual transmission (here's hoping).