With the BMW M2 in the spotlights and closer to entering production than ever, the world is starting to remember its predecessor. That car is, without a doubt, the BMW 1M Coupe, a rare and completely bonkers model from the crazy people working at the Motorsport division.
When the Germans introduced it, the specs told a beautiful story of an incredibly well-handling coupe that would offer rewards worthy of the best drivers out there. However, nobody expected it to be so good.
Its main focal points were the 3-liter inline 6-cylinder biturbo N54 engine (340 HP with up to 500 Nm of torque), the near perfect 50:50 weight distribution and the 6-speed manual gearbox. That’s right, BMW sold all of the 6,331 units of the 1M with a stick shift only.
That engine was either loved of hated because of several reasons. The main discussion revolved around the fact that it was turbocharged as forced induction on an M car was still regarded as a taboo subject. However, as time passed, many people changed their minds, including the M division.
The new M3 and M4 duo now use 3-liter inline 6-cylinder biturbo engines as well, making 431 HP and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque. That, once again, brought another issue into focus: the sound.
A lot of people claimed that the new models don’t have character and personality in this department, and they were quick to dismiss the models as sounding ‘terrible’. However, we never agreed with them, and the video below proves our point.
You’re about to hear a stock BMW 1M Coupe revving its engine alongside a BMW F80 M3. However, the M3 is sporting a custom Akrapovic exhaust that is supposed to make it sound even better. What do you think?
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