If a stock BMW M2 is too too tame for you, how about having one modified with a 6.2-litre, 707hp supercharged Hellcat V8 under the bonnet? It’s a concept so outrageous it feels like it shouldn’t exist, and yet you’re looking at it, and it’s every bit as insane as you’d hope.
Feature from Performance BMW magazine. Photos: Viktor Benyi.
Even if you are a dedicated BMW fan, the chances are you know about the Dodge Hellcat. It would seem that the criteria set out by Dodge for this powerplant was to demand its engineers build the loudest and most powerful V8 imaginable, and the resulting engine ticked both of those boxes in a big way.
Originally producing 707hp and 650lb ft of torque (even more these days), outputs that seemed more at home in a supercar and not a retro-styled modern muscle machine, this 6.2-litre supercharged V8 is a simply astonishing motor. And beyond the incredible numbers, the soundtrack that it produces, both the otherworldly supercharger whine and the earth-trembling exhaust note that is so loud it seems barely legal, meant it was an instant hit with petrolheads around the globe. It’s easy to see why Will Gallaher (@soco_cars_and_track) is such a big fan, but, while most people would be happy to enjoy the engine as Dodge intended, powering one of its muscle car offerings, Will liked the engine so much he decided he wanted one in his modified BMW M2. That’s real commitment to the supercharged V8, and you love to see it.
Of course, this is no small undertaking; Will needed the right person for the job, and that person was Peter Filippo, owner of Filippo Speed Shop (@filippo_speed_shop). The FSS website states that the company builds hot rods, performance and customs, so it was clearly the right choice. Scrolling through the sexy black and white shots of past projects it has undertaken, you realise that something as simple as the act of stuffing a V8 under the bonnet of an M2 is really no big deal for this company. Its bread and butter is undertaking astonishing and incredible custom builds for its customers. Where others might ask ‘Why?’ or ‘How?’, Filippo Speed Shop simply says ‘Sure’, and gets on with the job.
Now it goes without saying that owner Will is a BMW fan because he wouldn’t have chosen an M2 as the base for this project if he wasn’t, but Peter is also a BM fan, and having someone who’s as passionate as you are about your car working on it is most definitely a good thing. Peter has been interested in BMWs his whole life, and it’s nice to know that someone dedicated to the art of the hot rod has an appreciation for far more modest Bavarian metal, and he currently owns an E30.
This modified BMW M2 came about when Will turned up with his brand new F87 and requested that it be turned into a Hellcat-powered track car, and Peter was more than happy to oblige. “We do lots of motor swaps at my shop: a 1967 C10 LT4 swap, 1956 Bel Air supercharged LS7 swap, Shelby kit Cobra 427 swap,” he smiles. Swapping a Hellcat V8 into an M2 is just another V8 swap at Filippo Speed Shop, and Will’s car was in safe hands throughout this procedure and the rest of the build.
Raising the carbon bonnet, there’s a wave of excitement and intimidation that comes with the knowledge of what’s under there. And there it is, a simply enormous V8 with that massive IHI supercharger sitting on the top of the engine beneath its silver plenum. And before hardcore BM fans get ready to trash talk the choice of engine, the Hellcat motor is a serious piece of kit. It boasts a forged steel crankshaft with induction-hardened rod and main journals, forged con rods, carbon-coated wrist pins supporting forged alloy pistons, along with heat-treated aluminium cylinder heads. This is a proper performance engine and no mistake.
It’s a pretty incredible sight, and Filippo Speed Shop has done an awesome job stuffing this monumental V8 into the M2’s engine bay. Over 700hp is enough to get the two-tonne Challenger, where this engine first appeared, from 0-60mph in under four seconds, so in a far lighter M2, the performance is simply mind-blowing. This really is something else. And with this being a dedicated track machine, silly little things like a budget really didn’t matter. It was all about building the best car possible, so the Hellcat motor has been paired with a Sadev six-speed sequential gearbox, which means there’s no let-up in the power delivery or acceleration, and it really takes this build to the next level.
With the track being the destination for this build, the chassis needed to be equipped with some suitably hardcore components to ensure that this M2 would be able to really perform. The key to that are the Motion Control Suspension 4W four-way coilovers that have been fitted, and these are serious. They feature remote reservoirs and offer individually adjustable high- and low-speed compression adjustment and high- and low-speed rebound adjustment, allowing for an insane degree of chassis fine-tuning that ensures this M2 can handle the demands of any track with ease. They’ve been paired with Ground Control adjustable top mounts for further chassis adjustment.
The wheels are lightweight Forgeline 18s, finished in gloss black, measuring 10” across front and rear and wrapped in seriously wide Hoosier slicks, and behind the spokes, you will spy the lightweight StopTech BBK that’s been fitted. The front setup uses six-piston calipers, and you’ll find four-pots at the rear, and they deliver monstrous stopping power lap after lap.
In terms of appearance, the M2 is not short on presence and aggression, but Will’s modified BMW M2 is serving up a load more of both. Up front sits a carbon splitter with support struts and the aforementioned carbon bonnet, and you’ve also got carbon front wings with cooling vents, a carbon boot lid, and even a carbon roof, all in the name of keeping the weight down across the whole car. The windows are custom Lexan items, and then you’ve got that massive carbon wing with a pair of Bimmerworld uprights, and the finishing touch is the twin side-exit exhaust setup. This M2 looks simply spectacular, and while it’s all in aid of making it go around tracks as fast as possible, we appreciate the fact that it also gives the car an awesome appearance and ramps up the aggression to an insane level.
The interior is as focused as the rest of the car and has been outfitted with a host of top-end equipment. Both driver and passenger get to enjoy a pair of Sparco Circuit II QRT seats that have been equipped with matching Sparco six-point harnesses, and there’s a full custom roll-cage and custom dash from TC Design Fabrication, plus a custom switch panel. There’s a Sparco steering wheel, an AiM MXG digital dash logger, a Tilton pedal assembly, some beautiful lightweight door cards, a Lifeline fire suppression system, and in the boot, you’ll find an ATL fuel cell.
This modified BMW M2 is a simply epic build on every level. The Hellcat swap is obviously what grabs your attention, but there’s so much more to it than that awesome supercharged V8 that’s stuffed into the engine bay. Everything about this car is sensational, and nothing but the best components have been used throughout – it’s an uncompromising, ultra-focused track machine that’s been built to perform at the highest level. This a serious weapon, but it’s not without humour – that hilariously outrageous supercharged V8 under the bonnet proves that point, and it’s also an absolute show-stopper that delivers visual drama on an unprecedented scale. Peter and Filippo Speed Shop have built an incredible machine, and Will gets to drive something truly astonishing, and the fact that it exists in the first place makes us very happy indeed.
Tech Spec: Modified BMW M2
Engine & Transmission:
Dodge Hellcat 6.2-litre supercharged V8. Sadev sequential six-speed gearbox
Chassis:
10×18” (front and rear) Forgeline wheels with 275/35 Hoosier slicks, Motion Control Suspension 4W four-way coilovers, Ground Control adjustable top mounts, StopTech lightweight BBK with six-piston calipers (front) and four-piston calipers (rear)
Exterior:
Carbon splitter with support struts, carbon vented bonnet, carbon front wings, roof, boot lid and
rear wing, Bimmerworld wing uprights, custom Lexan windows
Interior:
Sparco Circuit II QRT seats, Sparco six-point harnesses, TC Design Fabrication full custom roll-cage and custom dash, custom switch panel, Sparco steering wheel, AiM MXG digital dash logger, Tilton pedal assembly, lightweight door cards, Lifeline fire suppression system, ATL fuel cell, RaceQuip window net
