It doesn’t matter how many of us car nerds clamor on about the important of unique colors on performance cars, there will always be customers who prefer plain black. In fact, I remember interviewing then-CEO of BMW M Markus Flasch when the F87 M2 Competition was new and we asked him what his color preference was. It was black over black. That’s from the CEO of the M Division. So as uninspired as black M cars are—such as this Sapphire Black BMW M2—they’re hugely popular.
The G87 BMW M2 is an interesting looking car. Some angles it looks great, others it looks less than great. There are some great throwbacks to classic M design—the boxy fenders and Hofmeister Kink—and there are some massive departures—boxy grilles, rear bumper fangs. Overall, it seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. But if you’re looking to hide much of that new detail, then Sapphire Black is a good color choice for you.
Black paint has always been great at hiding undesirable body lines and details in cars. Have a controversial design? Get black paint. Worked for the BMW M4. And while that certainly works on the front end, where the pitch black paintwork lessens the visual impact of the front end’s in-your-face styling, it also ends up hurting the M2 elsewhere.
With Sapphire Black, you can barely see the fantastic boxy rear fender flares or how aggressive the hood bulge is. It all just seems to blur together into a shadowless blob. That’s the gamble you take with dark black paint, though.
Having said that, there is a menacing aggression that black paint such as this brings. The BMW M2 in black looks like it wants to punch the faces of all those who dare stand in its way. And if that’s what you’re after, you will not be left disappointed.
[Source: instagram.com/gtb.photography]
