The mid-engined sports automobile known as the BMW M1 (model code E26) was made by the German automaker BMW from 1978 to 1981.
In the late 1970s, BMW and Italian automaker Lamborghini signed a contract for the creation of a racing car in enough quantity for homologation, but due to disagreements, BMW decided to develop the car on its own. From 1978 through 1981, the final vehicle was marketed to the general public under the name BMW M1.
It is the first mass-produced mid-engine BMW car; the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car is the second.
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BMW 1M
In 2011, BMW determined that their “M Division” should focus on the modest 1 Series. Who doesn’t enjoy a base model that has been given the complete, top-tier performance treatment, especially when BMW M is involved?
The BMW 1 Series M Coupe, however, was only offered for a brief period of time, with many vehicles being registered in 2011 and a select number in 2012. Only 450 of the 6,331 vehicles delivered to Europe and America were right-hand drive models, with the rest going to North America. Despite being introduced at the time, the price of this uncommon M vehicle has mostly remained the same (PS40,000), with many cars fetching up to PS50,000, and really low mileage specimens fetching up to PS80,000.
But what distinguishes the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, or 1M as fans prefer to call it, from other vehicles? The 1M may have had a smaller production run, but is there more to it than meets the eye?
The Best BMW Car Ever Built: The BMW 1M Coupe
One of the most exclusive vehicles ever created by the magicians in Garching is the BMW 1M Coupe. It originated from a covert effort that few of the company’s executives were aware of. According to folklore, certain BMW M engineers sought to create the ultimate track vehicle and utilised the majority of E92 M3 components for the 1M. A great sports coupe was the end result, and it debuted in 2011 and quickly sold out in most regions.
The 1M was initially scheduled to be a 2,700-unit limited edition car by BMW. The company then lifted the cap in response to the tremendous demand, producing a total of 6309 vehicles up until the end of manufacturing in June 2012. Nevertheless, after selling 740 units in the US and 220 more in Canada, production of the 1M Coup ceased in June 2012. Globally, 6309 automobiles were sold.
The engine took extremely little time to develop; engineers started working on it in October 2009 and finished it in less than a year. The choice to construct the 1M was taken in December 2009. The development and testing of the automobile took around a year. M vehicles conduct extensive testing on the Nurburgring track. Before the terrible weather started, all of the testing had to be finished in the spring and summer.
The N54 3.0 liter I-6 twin-turbo engine powers the BMW 1M. Although 369 pound-feet of torque are briefly accessible in overboost mode, the turbocharger, exhaust system, and ECU have all been updated to deliver 335 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque for the 1M. Redline is at 7000 revs per minute. The N54B30TO engine’s engine mapping can be changed by pressing the M button on the steering wheel to provide a more forceful throttle response.
The Porsche Cayman S was likely the closest rival in 2011, although BMW claimed at the time that no rivals were taken into account while designing the vehicle because the goal was to create vehicles that customers would like to drive. That is precisely what they did.
One of the best BMWs ever is the 1M.
Even now, three years later, with many newer and significantly more expensive BMWs on the road, the BMW 1M still draws attention. Its posture and strength on the road, rather than the peculiar paint job you can see below or the numerous modifications made to it, are what really make it stand out.
The majority of stores nationwide sold out of the BMW 1M even before it went on sale in 2011. Additionally, exorbitant MSPRs were being offered in locations where units were still available, often for more than $10,000 more than the going rate.
smallest of the little
Only a small number of the BMW 1Ms were exported to the United States because they were only produced for a single year. How brief? Only 1,000 were produced, making it particularly scarce on the used market right now. For comparison, the 1M had a sticker price of $47,010 when it first came out, but dealers marked them up far higher at the time. You can still find one, but it will be expensive. Depending on the condition, location, and mileage of the automobile, the typical price that we found on Autotrader was in the $50,000 to $75,000 area.
That might not sound too awful considering how rare and perfect-driving it is. In fact, given how it appears to be increasing in value and how perfectly it captures the spirit of BMW’s “M” automobiles, it might end up being remembered as the best BMW ever created.
Gills and gadgets
However, the 1M received a mixed response when it was first released, largely because it was thrown together with M3 components and the engine was taken wholesale from already-existing BMW cars instead of being a genuine M powerplant.
The interior was underwhelming and the bodywork divided critics and enthusiasts. The 1M was called “a fiesta of gills, slits, and doodads” by Car & Driver. Finally, there were just three colors available for the 1M: the obnoxious Valencia Orange, dull white, and the predictable black. Black and orange were both expensive choices, but white was the default.
The 1M coupe (in white) originally cost roughly $48,000, destination expenses included. In 2011, a total of 983 automobiles according to North American specifications were built and imported. In 2011 and 2012, 4,155 left-hand European standard 1M coupes and an additional 1,204 right-hand drive variants for the U.K. market were produced. One of the Euro-spec models is the vehicle in question.
Currently, the BMW 1 Series M Coupe is worth more than other, nearly twice as expensive new versions.
Unusually, the high-performance, uncommon 1M Coupe from BMW is currently worth more than it did when it was brand new.
Chris spent a short time working as a record industry publicist and in TV news production before focusing the majority of his career on automobile publishing. David E. Davis, Jr., who founded “Automobile Magazine,” mentored Paukert, who then took over as editor-in-chief of the groundbreaking e-magazine Winding Road before working as executive editor of Autoblog from 2008 to 2015.
BMW’s least costly M-badged model from 2011 has accomplished a minor but major feat: It is now valued higher than any of the other, much more expensive like-badged versions with which it had shared showroom space. The 2011 1 Series M Coupe commands more on the used market than all other BMW M products of its year, including the iconic M3 sports coupe and the far more expensive X5 M and X6 M SUVs, while being more than $10,000 less expensive than its next-cheapest M brother.
The 1 Series M Coupe, a BMW M-tuned version of the Bavarian automaker’s entry-level 1 Series, was a long-running rumor among Roundel enthusiasts. The upright, broad-shouldered coupe debuted for the 2011 model year, but it was missing the coveted M [Insert Number Here]] moniker. It was only made for a single year and was known as the “1 Series M Coupe.”
Despite its awkward name, the 335-horsepower 1M Coupe was recognized as the most driver-focused BMW of its era and was considered to be more enjoyable than the bigger and more powerful M3. BMW apparently limited the production of the 1 Series M Coupe to just 2,700 units worldwide, with just 740 of those going to the US, in order to avoid any pecking order disputes within the M lineup.
What makes the BMW 1M so unique?
In 2004, BMW introduced the 1 series in four main configurations: the 3-door hatchback (E81), 2-door coupe (E82), 5-door hatchback (E87), and 2-door convertible (E88). The E82 series’ performance version was the 1M Coupe.
Given that BMW tried to cram too much into this little coupe, what’s installed under the hood might completely surprise you. The engine is a 3-liter inline-6 cylinder, twin-turbocharged N54 engine to begin with. It was BMW’s first turbocharged engine to be mass-produced. Initial plans were for the engine to make its debut in the E89 Z4.
Additionally, the 6-speed manual transmission is the main reason for the devotees’ love affair. The 1M’s stick shift gearbox is a big part of why it is so enticing. The vehicle is ideal for driving on winding, crooked roads since the engine transfers all of its power to the back wheels.
It was tweaked to produce 335 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. However, when overboosted, it would produce 369 lb-ft while also giving you access to an additional 37 lb-ft.
How uncommon are BMW 1Ms?
The 1M was originally meant to be a limited edition vehicle, but initial projections of just a few thousand units would soon be changed in light of the vehicle’s popularity, and ultimately more than 6,000 units would be produced.
The BMW 1M is incredibly uncommon because of its tiny production run. A plaque was affixed on the center console of each of the 450 cars constructed for the UK market. Less than 1,000 cars were sold in the USA.
The 1M actually began as a “after hours” project, with passionate M department staff members putting together a new development plan within a few weeks after first being told that it couldn’t go ahead.
When senior management were presented with the plan, it was impossible for them to say no because parts were used and modified from other BMW models at the time. The team had all the necessary information, therefore any complaints were irrelevant.
The 1M had a sticker price of $47,000 in the USA and cost PS40,000 in the UK when it was brand-new. Production lasted from 2011 to 2012, therefore until the M2’s introduction in 2015, the tiny M car market was without a flagship.
The BMW 1M: A genuine M vehicle?
It may have annoyed the purists, but the BMW 1M’s engine is a belter and a key component of its appeal. It was one of the first authentic M cars to adopt turbocharging. A 335bhp twin-turbo 3-litre straight-six engine with a wonderfully smooth six-speed manual transmission powers the vehicle’s rear wheels. It produces a 4.8-second 0-60 time in the 1495kg 1M Coupe and a peak speed of 155 mph that is electronically limited, however we have observed an indicated 170 mph on a derestricted German autobahn.
An MDM button disables the stability and traction control systems entirely, and a M button modifies the throttle response. The advantage is that there is less technological complication when you just want to get on with the business of traveling fast because this button is not programmed, unlike those on larger M cars.