{"id":45626,"date":"2026-06-30T01:05:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T01:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/45626\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T01:05:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T01:05:14","slug":"bmws-m2-dakar-was-an-april-fools-joke-this-m240i-build-is-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/45626\/","title":{"rendered":"BMW\u2019s M2 Dakar Was An April Fool\u2019s Joke, This M240i Build Is Real"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Inspired by BMW’s April Fool’s prank, Dubai tuner Zeus Offroad created a rugged safari sports car out of an M240i Coupe <\/p>\n

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Dubai tuner Zeus Offroad turned a BMW<\/a> M240i into a desert-runner.<\/p>\n

The safari-style coupe gets a 3-inch lift kit and larger all-terrain tires.<\/p>\n

It also benefits from aluminum bumpers, wide fenders and a roof rack.<\/p>\n

When BMW rolled out its M2 Dakar digital concept <\/a>as an April Fool\u2019s gag in 2025, plenty of enthusiasts walked away wishing Munich would drop the joke and actually build it. A safari-spec sports car in the mold of the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato had obvious appeal. BMW may have kept it in the realm of make-believe, but the aftermarket had other ideas.<\/p>\n

Dubai-based tuner Zeus Offroad turned that desert-running fantasy into something real, a rugged one-off built on the BMW M240i Coupe. Tuned to handle punishing desert terrain, it gives up its low-slung stance for the sake of trail capability<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More: \u2018World\u2019s First Luxury V12 Italian Off-Roader\u2019 Pretends The Lambo Rambo Never Existed<\/a><\/p>\n

The aluminum bumpers front and rear are where the eye lands first, each one bringing an integrated skid plate and recovery points. Bolt-on fender extensions run into mud flaps that keep debris off the bodywork.<\/p>\n

Another cool touch is the Thule roof rack with LEDs and wind deflectors. Around the back, the custom treatment<\/a> is rounded out by a bespoke central dual exhaust system that gives the lifted coupe a unique visual signature.<\/p>\n

The bigger change happens underneath. A 3-inch (76 mm) lift kit, riding on Flatout adjustable coilovers, opens up the ground clearance and suspension travel needed for fast runs across sand. Zeus also went down in wheel diameter, swapping the factory alloys for 17-inch rollers wrapped in chunky off-road rubber.<\/p>\n

More: You\u2019ve Never Seen A Lotus Elise Like This Before<\/a><\/p>\n

Those tires will earn their keep in sand, since the donor BMW M240i<\/a> sends power to the rear wheels only. Under the hood sits a turbocharged 3.0-liter six good for 382 hp (285 kW \/ 388 PS).<\/p>\n

What none of this costs is anyone\u2019s guess, since Zeus Offroad stayed quiet on the price of a build almost certain to stay a one-off. The shop pulled the same trick on a Porsche Panamera not long ago, though most of what rolls out its doors starts life as a Cayenne<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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The lifted BMW 240i by Zeus Offroad<\/a> (above) compared to the fictional M2 Dakar (below).<\/p>\n


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Thanos Pappas
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\n Associate Editor<\/p>\n

\n Thanos Pappas, a product design engineer by trade, has been wading through automotive journalism for…
\n Read full bio
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