We always knew that M Performance Parts would follow shortly after the launch of the 2023 BMW M2 to rekindle the flames of our interest in the new sport coupe, but there’s no need to wait because we can, apparently, already see them.

Instagram’s Wilcoblok has posted a set of official-looking photos of the new M2 said to be sourced directly from BMW M with a range of performance parts on. While the standard car isn’t exactly what you’d call conservative, these add-ons take the design over-the-top.

Compared by many to the last-generation Honda Civic Type R due to its big wing and abundance of strakes, the M Performance parts are proving to be controversial. In response to the photos, one commentor to Wilcoblok’s post wrote that “they just made it worse!”

You can decide for yourself, though, whether the new parts are an improvement or not. They appear to include an extended front splitter that rises up along the sides of the bumper ahead of the front wheels. The side inlets on the bumper also have diagonal strakes, instead of straight ones.

Black mirror caps, meanwhile, can be found a little farther back on the M2, and there are black strakes pointing rearward from the back of all four wheel arches. In front of the rear wheel arches, meanwhile, there are L-shaped brackets.

Up higher, there are two aero elements. The first is a spoiler at the very top of the rear window and the second is a larger wing that arches over the trunk. At the back, the bumper gets new black fillers, and the exhaust tips are moved to the center of the bumper, in much the same way as can be done to the M4. On the hood, meanwhile, M2 script can be seen at the center of the power bulge.

The opposite of subtle, these alleged M Performance parts make the standard M2 look reserved by comparison. Fortunately, they are fully optional, so those to whom they do not appeal can simply ignore them. For those who are interested in them, you can check back in with us when pricing becomes available.

IND Distribution, a performance parts firm in Illinois, got its hands on a new M2 to see just how much power the two-door coupe could lay down at the wheels. The best of three runs showed 464.59 hp and 412.85 lb-ft of torque at the wheels—more hp and torque than BMW quotes at the crank.

On its website, IND factors in a drivetrain loss of 15 percent for drivetrain losses, which suggests a true crank output of 547 hp and 486 lb-ft of torque—a whole lot more than what BMW claims. Even if the losses were more like 5 to 8 percent, figures which have been cited as more typical of modern drivetrains, it's very likely the M2 is making close to 500 hp.