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BMW M235i: A German weapon America can't match

The main purpose of my trip was not to drive the M235i. Instead, it was to thrash BMW's M4 DTM car, a car that's more fighter jet than sports coupe. The M235i was supposed to be the appetizer....

If there's one word I'd use to describe BMW's M235i race car it would be this: playful. On the surface, that might not seem like the most glowing of compliments, but I assure you it is. This car is properly fun to drive, and while it doesn't yet exist here in America, it makes way too much sense for it not to.

The main purpose of my trip to the Montelbanco racetrack in the south of Spain was not to drive the M235i. Instead, it was to thrash BMW's championship-winning M4 DTM car, a bespoke racing machine that's more fighter jet than sports coupe. The M235i was supposed to be the appetizer. As it turned out, scheduling conflicts put me at the wheel of the M235i after the DTM, which was a bit backwards seeing as I didn't know the track I was driving it on. It's a bit like teeing off for your first ever time at the Masters having forgone all the practice rounds and without a caddy: It's not impossible, but it's certainly not ideal. Regardless, my drive in the DTM car went well, and by the time I hit the track in the M235i, I at least knew where I was going.

The M235i race car debuted in its own specific class at the 2014 VLN Endurance Championship. It also competed in the famed Nürburgring 24 Hours. With plenty of interest shown by prospective buyers, the car will soon be running in more series throughout the world, and perhaps on American soil too.

What makes it popular is it doesn't differ too wildly from the production M235i, a machine we thought highly of in our 2015 Yahoo Autos Car of the Year testing. The same 3.0-liter inline six resides, now pushing 333 hp (up 13 hp from production). H&R suspension and KW dampers stiffen the platform for track work, and PFC brake pads add more bite. The stock 8-speed automatic gearbox remains, with shifts done via the steering wheel-mounted paddles. A limited slip differential arrives, along with 18-inch wheels with slick racing tires adorned. Beyond that, the traction control and ABS have been replaced by racing specific versions that allow for more subtle levels of intervention.

All in, it makes for a package worth 59,500 Euros (around $67,000). By race car standards, that's not a bad deal. And as you can see in the video, it's not slow either. It feels like a more well-rounded production car, with better grip and an approachable character. While the setup was quite "safe" for my test, meaning plenty of understeer, you can see that in the higher speed corners the rear still slides a lot. Part of this is due to the tires being shagged, a byproduct of being the last person to drive it that day, and the fact it had started to drizzle. But it wasn't a big deal. The car is gentle and predictable. It does as you ask, and it remains plenty chuckable. As you can see, the suspension is still quite soft, meaning you can use all of the track limits – and a bit more.

A rev counter is housed at the top of the steering wheel, and lap times are displayed on that same mini-screen. It's all very compelling. While budgets to run a year's worth of racing weren't offered, I'm told it's very cheap by racing standards, and being so close to production, maintenance isn't too much of an issue.

It's a great little track car, and one that could make for a competitive spec series here in America – as well as a legitimate threat to win its class in races like the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Whether that will ever happen remains to be seen, but as BMW told me, from a business perspective, it makes a strong case for itself.