Testimonial: "4 Years with the BMW 1M"

[Artemis]

Seen on BimmerFile: "BF Garage: 4 Years with the BMW 1M": see here

[1'M Blue]

Nice article and read. Great pics as well.

Thanks for sharing Artemis !

[CarJunkie]

Link is not working for me.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by CarJunkie

Link is not working for me.

Fixed. It seems that the date in the link was changed by BF.

[The Wind Breezes]

Save your time, and don't read the article. It has absolutely no content and the owner only drove THIRTEEN THOUSAND MILES in 4 years.

[cc3]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Fixed. It seems that the date in the link was changed by BF.

Nice write up thanks. I have a GT4 and 1M. Still love my 1M puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Can't get excited about the M2.

[Trond]

Originally Posted by cc3

Nice write up thanks. I have a GT4 and 1M. Still love my 1M puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Can't get excited about the M2.

Wish I was in your shoes... How would you describe the driving experience of the GT4 compared to the 1M ?

[cc3]

Originally Posted by Trond

Wish I was in your shoes... How would you describe the driving experience of the GT4 compared to the 1M ?

In some respects similar in that old school manual box which I like. You feel involved in the driving experience with both cars. GT4 makes a truly wonderful sound, 2nd gear is a bit long and will see 82 mph. The gear change on the GT4 is brilliant. Suspension is not too hard for everyday use but ground clearance at the front splitter is 115mm and does scrape on some speed humps. Not been on the track yet but I would expect the GT4 to be quicker by some margin due to Cup2 tyres and downforce from adjustable wing etc.

For road use I still love the 1M and depending on your mood it is just as enjoyable as the GT4 indeed can be a lot more practical depending where you are going. I have had my 1M from new and it is a keeper. Best BMW I have owned in over 40 that include M6 and M3's etc etc. Would consider a M2 CSL if it ever gets built. Strip out the weight etc.

One thing I like about GT Porsche cars is that they look at the buying process from the drivers point of view rather than purely this is the budget for building the car. So good options on seats, harness, stripping out more weight through air con delete etc etc. BMW don't really do that with M cars and that's why they need the CSL brand. M has sadly been badly diluted by BMW as the marketing guys got hold of it. 1M was one of the few rays of light.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by cc3

GT4 [...] ground clearance at the front splitter is 115mm and does scrape on some speed humps.

It's even less ! But the splitter can be replaced.

Ground clearance (from higher to lower):

• BMW M2 = 123mm or 4.84in (source: here)
• BMW 1M/M3/M4 = 120mm or 4.72in (sources: here, here and here)
• Cayman GTS = 112mm or 4.41in (ramp angle: 11.3° | approach angle: 9.2° front and 14.4° rear) (sources: here and here)
• Cayman GT4 = 105mm or 4.13in (ramp angle: 10.2° | approach angle: 6.0° front and 13.3° rear) (sources: here and here)

[cc3]

Originally Posted by Artemis

It's even less ! But the splitter can be replaced.

Ground clearance (from higher to lower):

• BMW M2 = 123mm or 4.84in (source: here)
• BMW 1M/M3/M4 = 120mm or 4.72in (sources: here, here and here)
• Cayman GTS = 112mm or 4.41in (ramp angle: 11.3° | approach angle: 9.2° front and 14.4° rear) (sources: here and here)
• Cayman GT4 = 105mm or 4.13in (ramp angle: 10.2° | approach angle: 6.0° front and 13.3° rear) (sources: here and here)

Nice info thanks. Angle can be as much of an issue as clearance height. As you say splitter can be replaced and only rubbed mine twice so far!

[E30 Racer]

Originally Posted by The Wind Breezes

Save your time, and don't read the article. It has absolutely no content and the owner only drove THIRTEEN THOUSAND MILES in 4 years.

That really means nothing. Does accumulating ten of thousands of miles with cruise control on the interstate make someone more of an enthusiast?

[Trond]

Originally Posted by cc3

One thing I like about GT Porsche cars is that they look at the buying process from the drivers point of view rather than purely this is the budget for building the car. So good options on seats, harness, stripping out more weight through air con delete etc etc. BMW don't really do that with M cars and that's why they need the CSL brand. M has sadly been badly diluted by BMW as the marketing guys got hold of it. 1M was one of the few rays of light.

I have been owning around 30 BMW's and I have now ended up with a 2002 Tii, a E46 330 xd and a 1M. All different but similar as they are drivers cars with a manual gearbox and engages the driver. Except for the 1M to me newer BMW's has lost the spirit (I call them iPad cars). I have owned a couple of water cooled Porsches. They also gave me the highly engaged drivers feeling.

I totally agree that BMW needs the CSL brand where they keep at least one model with a proper manual gearbox, direct steering, manual seats, no NAV etc. Only focus on engaging the driver for driving and not for iPad features.

[brad65ford]

Its the only car i don't want to mod its just right from the factory.

[vasmir]

Good read; this phrase felt surprisingly accurate:

...Flawed in all the right ways...

[NihonX]

Originally Posted by The Wind Breezes

Save your time, and don't read the article. It has absolutely no content and the owner only drove THIRTEEN THOUSAND MILES in 4 years.

Gotta keep 'em rolling. Why not?