BMW 1 M Coupe on Top Gear

[mrad01 0]

One huge problem though. Anyone who drives one is going to be a complete plonker. Can any of the performance, handling bladda bladda bladda be used on NZ roads? No, so why buy it over a standard 1 series. Aesthetically it looks cr@p so there's no poser benefit to it. At the end of the day it's a 1 series with an M badge that's going to pedal round 99.99% of the time under the speed limit. So the only people who will drive one will be the boring car geeks who sit in rush hour traffic, with their gloved hands resting on the gearstick telling themselves how great it feels to be sitting in the ultimate (factory) driving machine . Buy yourself a Suzuki Swift and a Fraser 7 and save yourself $60k.

Ever taken one of your rides out to a drive through a gorge? Been on a Hampton downs track day? Maybe spun a few laps around pukekohe, or driven out through the back of coatsville to end up in warkworth?

Pack the family into the espace and try it out, then you will finally appreciate why some people have M cars in NZ...

[rogan 7]

Oh dear.. I think you've slightly missed the point of this car.

The people who will buy the 14 coming to NZ will most likely park them in the garage until the weekend and then go to such places as Hampton Downs for track days etc i would say. one customer of mine has ordered one and he does exactly that with his M3.

Exactly.

Both of you have just proved my point, thanks.

$107k for a track car that has leather, heated seats, air conditioning, sat nav, radio etc etc and according to TG is marginally quicker than a M3. So now you need to justify why the 1M is worth $70k more than the Fraser, without using the money is no object argument because that would preclude buying a 1M in the first place.

[CamB 48]

So what if you have only one car parking space?

[$toffz 0]

Does anyone know if by 'allocation' the article is meaning a launch of the car allocation, or is BMW NZ only going to be allowed to sell 14 for the entire life of the 1M?

Surely for the price they could sell a lot more than that? And at almost $70k cheaper they wouldn't be cannibilising their M3 sales...

'Why you won't

NZ's allocation of 14 sells before you make a decision.'

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/ar...jectid=10734631

[swordfish 30]

Exactly.

Both of you have just proved my point, thanks.

$107k for a track car that has leather, heated seats, air conditioning, sat nav, radio etc etc and according to TG is marginally quicker than a M3. So now you need to justify why the 1M is worth $70k more than the Fraser, without using the money is no object argument because that would preclude buying a 1M in the first place.

Man!!! Honestly just give it a break! You obviously don't like this car because you don't really see what it is all about and you are definitelly not going to buy it. Some people are different from you and would love to buy this car! I know, I would! And if to follow your logic all people in New Zealand should drive 1.3 litter Hondas or Suzikis or even more convinient to ride bicycles and become a member of Green Peace! Trust me this is not going to happen. People who can afford and are willing to buy these cars will buy them and it doesn't define who they are! They could be anyone! You just need to understand that and finally deal with it...

[westy 614]

Does anyone know if by 'allocation' the article is meaning a launch of the car allocation, or is BMW NZ only going to be allowed to sell 14 for the entire life of the 1M?

Surely for the price they could sell a lot more than that? And at almost $70k cheaper they wouldn't be cannibilising their M3 sales...

'Why you won't

NZ's allocation of 14 sells before you make a decision.'

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/ar...jectid=10734631

I think there is only a limited production run planned and we've been allocated 14 of those.

[BMWTouring 20]

Exactly.

Both of you have just proved my point, thanks.

$107k for a track car that has leather, heated seats, air conditioning, sat nav, radio etc etc and according to TG is marginally quicker than a M3. So now you need to justify why the 1M is worth $70k more than the Fraser, without using the money is no object argument because that would preclude buying a 1M in the first place.

Because a Fraser is useless in the wet, and can only carry two people with no extra gear which is useless when heading off to the twisty roads on the way to the beach for the weekend.

[dbkiwi 0]

One huge problem though. Anyone who drives one is going to be a complete plonker. Can any of the performance, handling bladda bladda bladda be used on NZ roads? No, so why buy it over a standard 1 series. Aesthetically it looks cr@p so there's no poser benefit to it. At the end of the day it's a 1 series with an M badge that's going to pedal round 99.99% of the time under the speed limit. So the only people who will drive one will be the boring car geeks who sit in rush hour traffic, with their gloved hands resting on the gearstick telling themselves how great it feels to be sitting in the ultimate (factory) driving machine . Buy yourself a Suzuki Swift and a Fraser 7 and save yourself $60k.

I hope to drive mine everyday. From the moment I saw the 135i I hoped M would build this car. I've been waiting for it since 2007 and I can't wait. It's everything I want in an M car.

[deeveus 81]

If anyone had watched the last Fifth gear episode, it had the 1M and the E-Type on it, a bit of Deja Vu!

IMO the 1M sits tough, It looks great & although I think the 1 series is more designed at the junkless portion of our society, this 1M would happily sit in my garage - yes, I'd actually have that over a 123d

[Greg111 13]

I think there is only a limited production run planned and we've been allocated 14 of those.

Production has been extended, not going to be a rare car.

[dbkiwi 0]

Production has been extended, not going to be a rare car.

Really? Good news for those who have missed out if that's the case. However I've not read this anywhere else, and BMW North America issued a media release saying production ends December 2011 and BMW UK has issued plaques on all of their cars saying "one of 450". Not saying what you're saying here isn't true, but it goes against everything else I've heard. Even (then) M boss Dr Kay said it was a limited run car.

[dbkiwi 0]

Production has been extended, not going to be a rare car.

BMW NZ also sent an email saying NZ allocation was either 14 or 18 (I forget) so what you're saying also suggests BMW NZ is sending out false information.

[Greg111 13]

From what i've heard at work, BMW have decided to continue production to mid 2012.

Email updates etc.

[jay^ 1]

an extra 6 months of production .. i dont see too many more in NZ's future then even if that is the case.

[Greg111 13]

Yep, more to NZ than said previous.

[westy 614]

Production has been extended, not going to be a rare car.

What a surprise!

[dbkiwi 0]

What a surprise!

This is the only report on the Internet of production being extended - so we'll see. Even if production is extended 6 months and NZ gets a handful extra, it will be significantly rarer than an E9X M3. To say the car won't be rare is a tad ridiculous tbh. Not rare compared to a Z4M perhaps, but more rare than any M3 it certainly will be.

[kingkarl 136]

This is the only report on the Internet of production being extended - so we'll see. Even if production is extended 6 months and NZ gets a handful extra, it will be significantly rarer than an E9X M3. To say the car won't be rare is a tad ridiculous tbh. Not rare compared to a Z4M perhaps, but more rare than any M3 it certainly will be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_1_Series_M_Coupe

BMW was originally going to release the E82 1M Coupe as a limited edition model of approximately 2700 units. Due to positive response, the company lifted the cap and will produce as many E82 1M Coupes as they can until production ends in Spring of 2012.[4]

[dbkiwi 0]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_1_Series_M_Coupe

Thanks for the link. If the Wikipedia article is correct, it's still a 9-12 month production window which will still make it a very rare car. Unlike other M cars the 1M is built on the same line as the series car, and can only be built until the new 1 series platform is released in 2012. The new M5 is releasing very early in the production cycle of the new 5 series, perhaps we will see the new generation 1M (rumored to be called the M2) sooner in the lifecycle of the next generation platform. The 1M was a bit of a freak, developed quickly on a low budget right at the end of the E82 lifecycle.

[Ben 0]

But for me nothing will beat E46 CSL. I know its not manual, but everything about that car says drive me! and drive me hard! If BMW would put the 1M engine in CSL and put the manual gearbox in it!!! Thats all I would want to drive all my life!!!

BLASPHEMY!!! the best part of the CSL is the engine!!!!

That sound makes me joygasm every time i here it

I dont like the 1M, its ugly, its small seems kind of pointless to me

I can understand BMW having M3 and M5 to fill medium and large car markets.

but whats the point of a 1M?

Is there a "I want to go fast but I cant drive an M3 because its to big for me" market?

And I never thought small cars were a performance purchase

I thought they were a 'car for the wife to get the groceries' purchase.

[CamB 48]

A different question - why the excitement on the 1M compared to the Z4M?

[kingkarl 136]

Is there a "I want to go fast but I cant drive an M3 because its to big for me" market?

Probably not.

But I bet there is a market for people wanting M3 performance for $60,000+ less than an M3. Actually the 1M was quicker than the M3 around the top gear track, so you're actually paying less for a quicker car.

[Ben 0]

Probably not.

But I bet there is a market for people wanting M3 performance for $60,000+ less than an M3. Actually the 1M was quicker than the M3 around the top gear track, so you're actually paying less for a quicker car.

This is true

though if I wanted a fast bmw and wanted to spend less than a new m3 then

Id just by an old m3 but thats just me.

TBH I dont get the new car market, I cant imagine spending so much money on a car

when you can spend less on an older model modify it and have something faster

for less than half the price.

in fact the only reason id buy a new car would be if i could go back in time about 50yrs

and buy a few american cars and sell them at todays prices.

And yes i realise with out new car buyers there wouldnt be a second hand market

[mrad01 0]

This is true

though if I wanted a fast bmw and wanted to spend less than a new m3 then

Id just by an old m3 but thats just me.

TBH I dont get the new car market, I cant imagine spending so much money on a car

when you can spend less on an older model modify it and have something faster

for less than half the price.

in fact the only reason id buy a new car would be if i could go back in time about 50yrs

and buy a few american cars and sell them at todays prices.

And yes i realise with out new car buyers there wouldnt be a second hand market

Its just the treadmill of performance. The next M3 will be faster than the 1M and so on...

The 1M doesn't come in a 4 door - so i'm happy in my current M3...

As for the money side of things, well, I guess those who look to buy new luxury cars see the amount as the same as every man buying a new laptop. Its all relative to income. When I was in my 20s I would have NEVER dreamed of buying a new BMW....how things can change...

[Greg111 13]

This is the only report on the Internet of production being extended - so we'll see. Even if production is extended 6 months and NZ gets a handful extra, it will be significantly rarer than an E9X M3. To say the car won't be rare is a tad ridiculous tbh. Not rare compared to a Z4M perhaps, but more rare than any M3 it certainly will be.

Who said the E9X M3 was rare??? Bout as rare as a Toyata Corolla. Common as muck here anyway.

It's not an internet hype either, we've heard it straight from the horses mouth.