[eeghie]

This is a complete less fatiguing translation (vs Google):

A great Car

The introduction of the BMW 1 M Coupe took its sweet time. Between the first images and the Dutch release date is a period of almost one year. In July 2010 BMW showed the first still camouflaged images and on the 30th of April this year the orange monster will be in the showroom for the first time. Our patience would be tested even further, as we could only drive the 1m for the first time at the end of May. That changed when last weekend we had the keys given to us...

Gran Turismo Events organizes track events on a regular basis. Usually you'd trip over Ferraris, Porsches and Lamborghinis. This time around it included a Swedish owner of an 1M. He was breaking in his car in a most special way. In that week he had already been to Spa-Francorchamps and the Nürburgring, so he had to move on to the Zandvoort track.

It was the owner's first time at Zandvoort. He kept a handsome pace, but did have the feeling that his car would be capable of more if its driver knew the track better. That was the moment we were handed the keys

Not Modest
"On the track. With over 240km/k you'll approach the next curve. Short and firm braking, turn-in and when passing the Apex your right food is already taunting the engine. At the following straight stretch you'll feel the adrenaline rushing through your body - a welcome tingle." The brochure was not at all modest about the intentions and the capacities of the 1M. So we had to see it for ourselves.

On entering one immediately notices the poor upholstery choice BMW made with the leather sport seats. Where in other M models M specific seats are found, the 1M has just 'regular' sport seats. In combination with the leather their hold is less than desirable on a track.

Typical BMW six cylinder sound
Regardless, you can have a real good time with an 1M. We feared the worst because we could not believe that a turbo engine could be as fantastic of an engine as the 130i. on that topic, there is good news: you don't even notice that there is a turbo engine under the hood. There is no noticeable turbo lag and the throttle response has a very direct response. From the bottom to the red line of the rev range, one has ample power from an enjoyable engine that sweeps its range perfectly.

The sound the engine makes is the typical BMW six cylinder sound. When the engine is started in the pits, it sounds great. The car doesn't have the flutter one might expect from an M, but a rather the civilized sportive sound of the 130i and 135i. For daily driving that's of course no problem, but on the track you do miss out on some of the experience. Wearing a helmet a substantial part of the sound is damped out. No need to interrupt a conversation when going full throttle.

The experience is solid
Otherwise the experience is solid. In spite of the dampened sound you'll have a great time in this car, also due to the directness. Especially in the M Dynamic Mode, because then the wheel turns slightly heavier and the throttle response is more aggressive.

Of course on the track it is about more than just the engine and its experience. Though in the 1M you can prefectly concentrate on just that. The car has a really good balance, so you keep your attention on the track and the sound of the engine. On the edge, the 1 M has a light understeer, but at no point that becomes distracting. You'll notice the chassis being slightly too soft for the track. When going curbe side the car dances a bit. On top of that the car leans quit a bit in quick turns, which brings the impression that it is just too high on its feet. That does make a perfect car for the Nürburgring though. Also a car that would be perfect for Zandvoort would no longer be enjoyable on public roads (red: the NLD/EU roads are on average a fair bit smoother in than the US).

Slightly above 2 minutes
For a car that has ample pull above 200km/h it's comforting to have a set of good brakes. For as much as we could test the brakes, they were quite adequate. On the track they held their ground. At no point during our 1M drive the brakes faded. Still the owner of the car left early. This had no relation with the brakes but with the tires. The car was one week old, but had already seen quite some track. After 30 laps on Spa-Francorchamps, 10 laps on the Ring and almost a full day on Zandvoort, the first set of tires were worn out. This unfortunately prevented the recording of a lap time, which would have been cumbersome anyway due to several novice track day drivers. On a fresh set of tires a lap time of slightly above two minutes seems realistic.

It was fantastic to play around with the 1M on Zandvoort. This was far beyond our expectation of a 135i on steroids- it is a real M. The car inspires confidence and can be tossed around the track effortlessly. At the end of next month we can continue our acquaintance when we'll take out the 1 M for a couple of days. We can't wait as it is a great car.