Collector Chassis is a new online platform for enthusiasts, hobbyists, and collectors to showcase, spectate, buy, and sell vintage, classic and special-interest vehicles. Through our partnership with Collector Chassis, BMW CCA members may list vehicles for free, and benefit from reduced selling fees, in addition to managing their own virtual garages and exploring the virtual garages of others. This week our Collector Chassis Showcase features a 2020 BMW M2 Competition.
Check out the Collector Chassis FAQ for more information about their site and auction terms and conditions. When signing in to the Collector Chassis website, choose “Sign in as BMW CCA user” and use your BMW CCA credentials. And watch for more CC Showcase features on BimmerLife!—Mike Bevels
“I enjoy the driving—the sheer intense concentration of it. Everything else in the world just fades away. You’re there, in the here-and-now. It’s a great respite from the ravages of life.” That’s a quote from Kim Crumb, a winning driver with 74 career racing championships in hillclimbs, Solo II, autocross, time trials, and wheel-to-wheel racing.
One of the key ingredients to racing success is a fast car and when Crumb was car shopping, he chose the fastest BMW M2 available at the time—the limited edition 2020 M2 Competition. But this wasn’t enough. Crumb demanded more. An avid BMW enthusiast, he conceived what he calls “CS Plus.” He started the build preserving the BMW CPO warranty of an M2 Competition by using Dinan performance parts. Crumb wanted performance with concours condition and built “CS Plus” to bring to any event and let the standards of preparation and its winning provenance to shine. That is really the essence of Crumb’s Sunset Orange Metallic Dinan M2 Competition or “CS Plus” now presented for sale on Collector Chassis.
“The big jobs are not of the parts you can see,” says Crumb. The larger heat exchanger for the water/air intercooler required removing the front of the car. The rear subframe had to be dropped to install uprated rear suspension parts. The ECU had to be shipped to Dinan to be unlocked, and then “tuned.”
This M2 boasts many Dinan engine and suspension components, T.C. Kline front Coilover suspension, Vogtland springs, a Turner front carbon fiber splitter, a range of BMW M-Performance parts, Apex Wheels, and Toyo Tires. Crumb figures he shelled out $20,000 for parts and nearly another $10,000 for installation, which was all done at the BMW dealer.
Crumb says few owners are willing to commit to this comprehensive approach due to the extended investment of time, money, and effort. He adheres to extremely high standards, and the results show it. The engine components are straightforward and after installation you can enjoy the ferocious acceleration with your right foot.
It wasn’t simply a bolt on affair. The suspension must be adjusted, to have all the components work in harmony. Crumb says, “I’d go to an autocross so I could drive the car hard enough, in a safe environment, to evaluate the handling. After an event, we’d spend an hour or so on an alignment rack, reviewing my notes on the handling. Then after consulting, we would strategically and incrementally adjust the ride height, shocks, sway bars, caster, camber, and front and rear toe-in.”
In one year, Crumb and his suspension specialist did five of these custom alignment and adjustment sessions to optimize the M2’s handling performance. “Committing to this time, effort, and expense is necessary for the best total result,“ says Crumb.
Whilean M2 Competition produces 405 horsepower, the M2 CS is good for 444 hp. Crumb’s “CS Plus” beats a stock M2 CS by 50 more ponies for a total of 495 horsepower (or 514 on 93 octane). He runs 19×9.5-inch wheels with 265/30/R19 Toyo tires on the front and 19×10.5-inch wheels with 295/30R19 Toyo tires on the rear. There are also carbon exterior goodies such as a front spoiler, mirror caps, a rear spoiler, and a rear diffuser, plus the BMW M Performance Steering Wheel and pedals.
Crumb has won five autocross championships driving “CS Plus” as he developed it. Now, in his seventh decade on Earth, Crumb is writing a book about 40 years of exciting cars and competition. The “CS Plus” is the culmination of Crumb’s life experiences, determination, and passion. He created an amazing streetcar, and a very competitive weekend track and autocross car that can also win at concours events. Some would be quick to brand “CS Plus” the epitome of an Ultimate Driving Machine. For Crumb it’s that and so much more. —Will Sellenraad