About a year ago, no fewer than 80 owners of the BMW 1M got together at the Nürburgring to celebrate the revered performance coupe. That record has now been broken as 92 cars shared the iconic German track during the annual meeting. Famous YouTuber Misha Charoudin helped make it happen through the 3MD Germany GmbH company he co-founded earlier this year. The folks at 1M Register asked for assistance to plan this year s bigger-than-ever meeting.
In case you don t remember the story of the 1M, it was originally supposed to be a low-volume product. BMW had intended to build just 2,700 examples but ended up making 6,309 cars. The dreamy E82 1 Series came into being after a small team of engineers wanted to revive the spirit of the M3 E30. To make it happen while limiting development costs, they ended up taking bits and pieces from other M cars.
They created a small, lightweight, and nimble sports car with plenty of punch. That N54 engine routed 335 horsepower to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. The six-cylinder heart came with an overboost function that took torque to a healthy 500 Nm (369 lb-ft). The development team borrowed the M3 s brakes and differential while lowering the suspension and widening the tracks. On top of that, a beefier body kit was installed.
While most cars were painted in Valencia Orange, Sapphire Black, and Alpine White, a few left the Leipzig factory in other shades. It is believed three units were pampered with Individual paints, including one painted in Monte Carlo Blue and another in Java Green.
Given today s challenging car industry, it s hard to believe there will ever be a car like the 1M ever again. The 1 Series isn t what it used to be during its first two generations. Nowadays, it s a front-wheel-drive-based affair with three- and four-cylinder engines. In addition, the manual gearbox is a thing of the past. There is an M Performance version as the M135, but hardly a 1M spiritual successor. The M2 G87 fits that bill better, and you can still have it with six cylinders, RWD, and a stick.
Source: Misha Charoudin / Facebook, Misha Charoudin / YouTube
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
