44 MODERNCLASSICS
Firstof theboostedMs willleaveyouBeemer-ing
CLEVER
BUYS
MONEY
Why you wantone
Boisterous BMWsarealwaysgood
fun, and few areas boisterousas the
li mited-edition1 SeriesMCoupe–a
car often simplydubbed‘1M’.
Under the bonnetof thiscompact
coupe lies a twin-turbocharged
six-cylinder enginethatproducesa
hefty 335bhp and369lb-ft,granting
the BMW a 0-62mph time of just 4.9
seconds. Furthering its appeal is the
fact that only 450 of this muscular 1
Series were made available in the UK
market, which immediately made it a
desirable and effectively deprecation-
free car for many right out of the gate.
As BMW’s output changes to meet
customer demands, with powertrains
becoming more complex and
additional assistance the norm, these
purer BMWs may well become the
most sought-after cars around.
What the experts say
‘It’s an excellent thing,’ says Ostroff.
‘BMW managed to create an instant
classic by keeping it so limited; it’s
also got that famous straight-six and a
manual transmission, and it’s the
perfect car to go out for a little blast on
a Sunday – it's easy to run, very
reliable, and going to appeal.’
‘We’ve offered two through our
sistercompanySilverstone,’says
Dunne,‘andwe’vesoldthemwell.I
thinkit’sbecausetheywereofferedin
suchlownumbers;theycouldbe a bit
of asleeper.Nicelowmileageones
willdo well.There’ssomethingthere,
if youcangetholdof one.’
‘Mileage,definitely,’saysDaniels.‘I
thinklowmileageis better–although
everyonehasthisthingabout100,000
milesoncars,andI thinkthat'sno
longeraccurate.’Danielsalsowarns
thatabusecanbe anissue.Gotthe
registrationto hand?Perhapsit’stime
to trawltheforumsandfindoutjust
whatthatcar’sbeenupto.
Youalsoneedto be carefulnotto
overpayfora 1M,particularly
consideringthatthereareplentyof
goodexamplesoutthere;at the
£50,000mark,youshouldbe ableto
get onefroma dealerwithfewerthan
20 ,000milesontheclock.You’re
payinga premium,unquestionably–
but you’realsogettinga desirablecar
whichyoucanenjoywithoutpushing
the odometerintothestratosphere.
Ifyou’relessfussedabout
collectability, there are several
comparatively high-mileage 1Ms
around, which typically cost £35k.
One interesting point with regards
to the longer-term view is further
fi elded by Daniels. ‘It’s a very coolcar
but I think its downside will be
modern electronics being
superseded, a bit like mid-2000s
Mercs – great cars, but worthless,
because of the electronics
nightmares on them.
‘If you look at the SL55,
they’re phenomenal cars but
they're £10k-£20k for a
reason – electronic
headaches. They were great
in the mid-2000s, but now,
all the electronics are a
nightmare and the cost to
repair them writes them
off. The more analogue
cars will be easier to
maintainmovingforward.’
Straight six +
manual box =
instant classic.
BMW1 SERIESM COUPE
Engine 29 79cc,6-cyl,DOHC,turbo
TransmissionRWD, 6-speedmanual
Power 33 5bhp@5900rpm
Torque 33 1lb-ft@1500-4500rpm
(+ 38lb-ftw/overboost)
Weight 15 70kg
PERFORMANCE
0-60mph 4. 9sec
Top speed 155mph (limited)
Economy 29.4mpg
369
UK cars left
2011
