When BMW->ke178 launched their 1 Series M coupe, everyone wondered how the car would fare against the larger and heavier, but more powerful, M3->ke2366. In testing, a German car magazine ran the Nürburgring Nordschleife from bridge to gantry in 8:15, while the record for a ‘Ring lap in an M3 CSL stands at 7:50. Even the plain E92 BMW M3 lapped the ‘Ring in 8:05, so it seemed clear that all M3 variants were quicker than the 1 Series M cars.

The video above may prove otherwise. The driver of the 1 Series M, with the in-car camera, is Andre de Vries. He’s chasing a BMW M3 CSL, set up as a Nürburgring track day car and fitted with a roll cage, big brakes, lightweight exhaust, racing seats and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires. The 1 Series M, on the other hand, is bone stock, which makes the performance of the car that much more remarkable.

It’s amazing to see how closely matched the two cars are, and de Vries managed to clock the exact same 8:15 time recorded by Sportauto tester, Horst von Saurma. Given a cleaner run around the ‘Ring, with less traffic and no accident to necessitate lifting off the throttle, deVries is confident that he can lap from bridge to gantry in under 8 minutes, which puts the 1 Series M in the same league as a 2005 Dodge Viper SRT-10->ke1404, a 1996 Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 V-Spec->ke1592, and the 2004 Porsche 911 Carrera S. That’s some impressive company to keep.

.