The BMW 1-Series began its life back in 2004 when the 3-Series was moving up in the world and BMW needed another small family car to serve as an entry model. It started off as a 5-door hatchback, but was introduced as a 2-door coupe, a 3-door hatchback, and a convertible in 2007.
The current engine selection consists of a 3.0L I-6 producing 230hp and 200 lb-ft of torque, and a 3.0L twin turbo I-6 producing 300hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.
Finally, someone is driving the BMW 1-Series M Coupe the way it is suppose to be driven. The only bad news is that all the action takes place in a parking mall and not at a major driving event, but it’s still a start.
Since the 1-Series M Coupe was launched, we’ve seen tons of testing shots and tuning kits that have highlighted the sports car’s attributes, but this may be the first time a guy has the guts to really push the car to extremes. Of course, the tires sure suffered during the process, but we still like the action.
Refresher: The BMW 1M Coupe uses a 3.0-liter inline-6 engine that delivers an impressive 335 HP at 5,900 rpm and 332 lb-ft of torque from 1,500 rpm to 4,500 rpm. It sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, and top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph.
What would the 2011 Essen Motor Show be without the participation of some of Germany’s homegrown tuning companies?
Fortunately, we won’t have to answer that question because at least one of those tuning companies will on-hand to present their new tuning programs. BMW tuner extraordinaire, AC Schnitzer, has prepared a couple of cars for Essen, with one being a modified 1-Series F20 hatchback. Coming to the party packed with styling and performance upgrades, AC Schnitzer’s "ACS1" program certainly belongs on the big stages of Essen.
The exterior and interior of the car were both given some fancy dress-ups. For the former, the changes include the addition of a new front apron and a new roof spoiler to go along with some special graphics on the sides of the car and a choice of either 18" or 19" alloy wheels. Meanwhile, the interior of the 1-Series F20 received a bespoke gear knob that comes with or without a digital gear display, aluminum pedals, a new handbrake handle, custom floor mats, and an aluminum cover for the i-Drive system, among other things.
The ACS1’s performance package didn’t disappoint either. Before we dive into the power kits for the 118d and 120d models, it’s important to share that AC Schnitzer added a lowered sports suspension kit and a new exhaust system with chromed tail pipes to the performance program. As for the aforementioned power kits, which included an ECU remap, the German tuner managed to bump the output of the 118d from 143 horsepower to 171 horsepower while the 120d gets an equally impressive spike, from 184 horsepower all the way up to 210 horsepower.
BMW recently announced plans to bring the M550d - an M5 with tri-turbo six-cylinder diesel unit and all-wheel-drive system - and now they are bringing some more good news to the table. According to Driving Fun, BMW is also preparing an M version for their new generation 1-Series.
Until now, the most powerful 1-Series was the 306 HP 135i, but the new model - called M135i - will get a 3.0 liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine with an increased power of 320 HP. Next to the extra power, the upcoming M135i will also get a full M division tuning treatment.
The announcement was made during a BMW dealership presentation that took place in the Netherlands. It seems that the new BMW M135i is set to arrive in Summer 2012. This will be followed by a four-wheel drive version in December 2012.
Following up on the teaser trailers for Jeremy Clarkson’s Powered up DVD, Top Gear’s main man has released another video with a bit more action than the first two. In this video, Clarkson goes through some of his favorite cars of the year and his top pick is surprisingly not a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, even though a Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante did take third place on his preference list.
Instead, the British star has chosen one of the most amazing cars launched this year by BMW: the 1-Series M Coupe. Usually not a fan of BMW’s, Clarkson has appointed the 1M as the “Most Fun Car Of The Year.” The 1M pulled ahead of many of the classic favorites in the auto world, including the Ferrari FF and 458 Italia, the aforementioned Lamborghini Gallardo Performante, the Nissan Skyline, and the McLaren MP4-12C.
The new BMW 535d Touring M Sport also got a spot on his "favorites" list, grabbing the top spot as "2011 Car of the Year."
For all of the tuning projects that have been done on the BMW 1-Series M Coupe, it seemed a little surprising that we haven’t heard a whole lot from the popular 1M at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show other than the ’Black Knight’ vehicle that RevoZport was building.
Apparently, a second 1M Coupe has officially booked its attendance in Las Vegas.
This one comes from renowned suspension specialists, H&R Springs, who built a program for the 1M Coupe that centers on a number of high-end performance parts. That’s not to say that they didn’t work on the car’s aesthetics because they did dress it up with some decals bearing the unmistakable M-Series livery to go with some sticky jewel graphics.
To give the car the perfect stance and performance handling of a true M-Series, H&R Springs provided it with its own Sport Suspension set-up that lowered the car by 1.2" on the front and 0.6" on the rear. H&R also added their own Sport Sway Bars on the front (27mm) and rear (23mm) of the sports car. These bars come with forged ends and are made from HF wire, a material that’s unique to the industry because it’s heat treated and shot peened. The last of H&R Springs’ performance parts is the Trak+ Wheel Spacers, installed to perfectly space the wheels and tires in fender wells, and allow for wheel clearance of the big Brembo calipers.
As for contributions made by its contemporaries, the 1M Coupe’s new 19" wheels were provided by BBS and its new Super RS wheels and has been fitted with Continental ExtremeContact DW tires. As for the Brembo brakes, H&R Springs opted to go with the Brembo GT 380mm Big Brake Kit with matching blue calipers from Custom Motorsport.
UPDATE 11/08/2011: We have added new images of the BMW 1-Series M Coupe by H&R Springs from its official debut at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show. Check them out in the picture gallery.
