Sometimes magic happens in a flash. The history of pop culture is marked by platinum hit songs from groups that were literally one-and-done, but whose influence on music was great and which gave ripples in the industry that were felt for years. In the case of cars, there are many similar examples: models whose legendary reputation is the result of brilliant design, powerful performance and extreme scarcity.
Limited to a single year or two of production, cars like the 2005 Ford GT and 2016 Porsche 911 R are more popular than today. Another standout is the 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe, known among BMW enthusiasts as the E82. It has only been manufactured for one year and has barely succeeded. So far, however, it seems to be one of the most beloved BMWs of the 21st century.
Sure, BMW’s Z8 is a collector’s icon, but it’s fragile, expensive and more about retro style than performance. To understand why the 335 hp BMW 1 Series M Coupe (not to be confused with the M1 car from 1978 to 1981) is so special, you only need to measure BMWs through the years.
A BMW 1 Series M Coupé 2011 in Valencia Orange.
Photo by Tom Kirkpatrick, courtesy of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.
The BMW 2002, which we will talk about in the future Car of the week installment, was BMW’s first two-door sports sedan. Eventually, his successors, through a clever marketing campaign, proved the Bavarian carmaker’s claim the ultimate driving machine, at least in the minds of market enthusiasts. With the M3 (E30) in 1986, things started to get serious. And the more serious things got, the bigger BMWs got.
By the 1995 version of the M3 (E36), it had become a large size for a sports sedan, and it offers easy handling with a bit of luxury. It was 175 inches long and 67 inches wide, had a wheelbase of 106 inches and weighed 3,175 pounds. The inline-six engine made 240 hp in North American models – roughly equivalent to a contemporary Porsche 911 Carrera – and was a sweet little performer for its time.
BMW’s 1 Series M Coupe has wide, sloping fenders and is exaggerated in its proportions.
Photo by Tom Kirkpatrick, courtesy of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.
Like a piglet, earlier BMWs were like the piglets – cute and manageable. The later E36 was about right, but eventually the extra weight and size become a heavy reminder that the appeal (like BMWs and pigs) – like many of their owners – gets thinner as they get thicker.
The V-8 powered E92 M3 with two doors, made from 2007 to 2013, remains a collectible on its own. Perhaps most interesting is that BMW M engineers have chosen to develop the smaller, track-oriented 1-Series M Coupe with many E92 M3 parts. And if there was ever a nice place, the 1M tickled it.
With an attitude that mimics a muscular pika, the short, squatting 1M shares the 71M wide shoulder track of the M3, but is 172 inches shorter. The price of 3,296 pounds is also about 600 pounds lighter, whether it’s a large number, whether we have a car or a potty. With its big brother’s brakes and suspension, the car has a body with wide, flared screens and is just as exaggerated as a bodybuilder. Even today, a 1M still gets an inch up from BMW fans, to which I can testify (with full disclosure as an original owner without intending to sell his car).
A total of 6,309 samples were made up to and including June 2012.
Photo by Tom Kirkpatrick, courtesy of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.
Under the short hood is BMW’s N54 engine, a 3.0-liter inline six that develops 335 hp and a torque of 332 ft, or more urgently 369 ft £ with an overload of the twin turbochargers. Reaching the nearly 7,000 rpm is a lot of noise, but in reality all the heavy work is done at a third of the revs, and the fun factor kicks in the moment one hits the throttle. A zero-to-60 km / h time of 4.7 seconds is very respectable today, but the number buttons miss the boat and do not even deserve this car. With the 1M it’s all about the disc.
And that drive is addictive. I do not use drugs, but maybe it’s because I have a 1M, and any other stimulus is too excessive. The M forgives my limitations, sticks and responds faster than this driver will ever do. Just as impressive as its engine are the brakes and steering. . . o the steering; it’s the best of the best, and puts this driver in a comfort zone unmatched by any other car in my stable.
Haters will – relying on theory and not experience – replace the electric power steering that replaces a traditional hydraulic system, but they will be wrong. The 1M will read your mind with its intuitive steering feedback. Of course, it also has a thought of its own, subdued to the extreme. But none of its large screens diminish the fact that this car is pre-eminently a corner carver. The M4 CS I use as a daily driver is a school bus by comparison.
The car, with a six-speed transmission, was new and had a heated seat and navigation functionality.
Photo by Tom Kirkpatrick, courtesy of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.
As it was made for the 2011 model year only, BMW’s 1 Series M Coupe is a relatively rare car. The initial production was planned on 2,700 samples, but demand forced the Munich manufacturer’s hand and eventually, until 30 June, 6,309 were made in the factory in Leipzig. It is important that buyers in the United States sell 740 in the US, with another 220 to Canada.
The car sold for about $ 45,000 new and offered few options. Apart from navigation, heated seats and Xenon headlights, there was not much to add. The transmission was only through a six-speed manual gearbox, and the paint was black, white or Valencia orange – the latter was a rusty metal that is the distinctive color of the model. A few examples have been sprayed in blue and green, but hope not to find them anytime soon.
The BMW’s N54 engine of the model, a 3.0-liter inline-six, develops 335 hp.
Photo by Tom Kirkpatrick, courtesy of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.
This BMW lives in the undercarriage that separates a collection car from a modern car. Any car that is more than a decade old is the former, and the 1 Series M Coupe will soon be. It still holds hands with the best and brightest of today’s models. Truly, anyone looking for the performance agreement of the century will simply order a new BMW M2 and an M2 CS if they can find one. These cars are the evolutionary successors of the 1M, and are certainly the purest and unadulterated BMWs made today. Current values are greater than the MSRP of the model if they are new, so expect to pay north of $ 50,000 for any decent sample. The cars have no Achilles heel and can serve owners well north of 100,000 miles.
The car drives zero to 60 km / h in 4.7 seconds, very respectful, even by today’s standards.
Photo by Tom Kirkpatrick, courtesy of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.
Whether the 1-Series M Coupe will remain as desirable in another decade as it is now remains to be seen. At present it is a benchmark and a historical indicator for the BMW brand, and it is hard to imagine that a car that performs more brilliantly, looks just as good, is so reliable and offers such a pure analog driving experience. But I’m biased. As it happens, the online auction house Bring a Trailer has an excellent example of 24,000 miles in Valencia Orange, one owner, which is currently for sale – just in case you are convinced.