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It all depends how you look at the things, I am an owner and a fan of 1M but a year and half ago I was lusting for and planning to buy a Porsche Boxster Spyder which is basically the same with Cayman R as you all know. In fact, since Porsche's engine is not as powerful and much less torquey than the 1M it really tells us that the mid-engine rear drive chassis of the Cayman R is more efficient than the 1Ms, and it should be: it is a lighter, lower, mid-engined sports car for just 2 people! On the other hand, if we take the 1M it is also surprising that this sedan shaped, 4 passanger, relatively high and not so light car gets that close to Cayman R which is also something to applaud. I also would and did choose the 1Ms "best compromise" solution since I myself pay for my cars not the daddy and this is all about M cars in general.
Just before seeing this thread I have finished reading my digital copy of the Evo Car of the Year Issue and that's again, a huge success for our 1M; among the eight judges of Evo six of them put it on top of Cayman R as they did earlier this year on their comparo between 1M, TT RS, Cayman R and Nissan 370Z. In fact, one judge (Catchpole, the rally driver and test editor) put it as his number 1 and three other judges (Chris Harris, Meaden and Green, arguably like Catchpole the better drivers among the judges) put the 1M as their number 2, all three of them putting it just behind Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0, which is the winner of this year. And we all know the cars that 1M left behind; Lambo. Aventador, Ferrrari FF, Lotus Elise CR, Cayman R, new BMW M5 (pick your guess as how BMW management will read this result), Jag, Aston etc. It is just 2 points shy of Mc Laren and 3 of the GT3 RS 4.0.
Chris Harris is quoted somewhere saying "the mark of a great car is one whose overall competence exceeds what you should expect from its individual components and the 1M does just that." That summarizes for me everything about this car.
I have a strong feeling after reading all the things there...and everywhere else and also driving this car almost every day, that we have to stop justifying obvious merits or relative weaknesses of this car already, and we have to really stop defending it against some occasional haters (majority of whom happens to own another BMW!). What else the 1M has to proove, it is genuinly a great car and possibly the performance bargain of the...hmm decade?
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