Performance Technic: When do you think your passion for the automotive and for driving began?
Can Tuzla: As far back as I can remember. I think most of us had different sorts of toy cars or car games as kids. I did too but I was always more interested in cars on the street, different makes and models. I remember playing this guessing game with my parents when I was 5 or 6 years old. The goal was to guess the make and model of the cars from a distance that were parked on the street. At that age, I didn't know how to read but I could recognize the make and model of majority of the cars without having to look at what says on the back. And when I learned how to read, unlike my friends, I chose to read car magazines instead of kids books. So I was hooked from the beginning.
PT: Have you always liked BMWs specifically? What BMWs have you owned and what drew you to them?
CT: There have always been different models that I admired from different brands. However, I've always had a soft spot for BMWs. When I was a kid, it was mostly the styling that impressed me and interestingly the first BMW I fell in love with wasn't an E30 or E36. It was the Z3 Roadster. I still have a red Z3 Roadster model car that my parents bought me when I was 8. The more I read about BMW's driving dynamics at later ages the more I fell in love with the brand.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to own or drive one up until I graduated from college and moved to the US (For those who are wondering why, I'm originally from Turkey, the country that has probably the highest gas prices and automotive taxes. Just to give an example, a brand new M2 Competition costs over $200,000 in Turkey). Now I'm trying to make up for all those years that were spent without a BMW. I started my BMW journey with a 2014 F30 328i 4 years ago. Even though it drove pretty well, it lacked some character and sadly, I got bored of it rather quickly. I grew up driving MT cars and the AT in the F30 was another big reason why I couldn't love it. I sold it 2 years later and got a 2016 M4 Competition 6MT in Sakhir Orange. It was such an upgrade and loved every second of driving it! S55 may not be one of the best sounding engines out there but it's absolutely amazing in everything else in my opinion. I sold it after 2 years of ownership and got a 2019 M2 Competition 6MT. Check out next question to see why I made this move.
PT: What led you to acquire your M2 Competition and why did this car stand out to you over the original M2?
CT: I really like small cars that are fun to drive—especially with this new trend of making each generation of a model bigger and heavier than the previous one. F87 (M2 and M2 Competition) is the smallest M currently available in BMW's lineup. In 2015 when I heard that M2 was coming, I was super excited and thought this might be my next car. I called more than 60 dealers to put my name down on a waitlist. I secured a #1 spot on a local dealer and ordered an M2 in March 2016. Later on after seeing some dyno results, track tests, and other reviews, I thought it was a great car. However, a couple of heat soaking reports at the track (and even at dyno runs) drove me away from my decision. I ended up getting an M4 Competition but couldn't really forget about the M2 and its perfect size. In the past two years, every time I drove my M4, I always thought "This S55 should be combined with the F87 chassis. I wish BMW would make it happen..." and they finally made it happen! As I said, the M4 was a great car for me and I never had any issues with it, but always wished it was bit smaller.
