The Nurburgring is a tricky yard stick for cars. But that doesn’t stop us and automotive manufacturers from making use of it as a tool for establishing outright performance credibility. With a time of just 7:58, the M2 has done just that.

The 7:58 figure is a full 7 seconds faster than the E92 M3 and within six seconds of the F82 M4’s time if 7:52. It destroys the 1M’s time of 8:12 almost eclipses the current M5 at 7:55.

What does all this mean? Unlike the 1M BMW has had time to finesse this cars track capabilities and hone every last detail of its performance. While it’s not realistic to look at the Nurburgring as the only way to measure performance, it’s a compelling figure when you look at what cars are around it in the time sheets.