BMW 1 Series M Coupé – what would you like to know?

[Steved]

A thousand apologies for being so absent from this forum in recent years, some of you will probably have bumped into me when I was setting up Drivers Republic and it's been a busy time ever since.

Anyway, enough of the history lesson. The real reason for this post is to let you guys know that we'll be spending a few hours with the production 1 Series M Coupe in just under 40 hours from now and I'm running a thread over on SkiddMark to solicit your questions and any facts you'd like me to uncover on your behalf.

We'll be doing a photoshoot plus interviews with BMW personnel, and I'm also taking a prospective buyer along (he's already got his name on the list) who will also provide the customer's viewpoint. We'll have all the spec information on Thursday afternoon (UK time), with the embargo lasting until 11:59pm (GMT), but I'm planning on staying up and plugging myself into Twitter until around 2am (GMT), so if you've any further questions that you'd like to ask then feel free to drop me a tweet.

You can either leave a comment on SkiddMark, or tweet me at http://twitter.com/DriversRepublic (@DriversRepublic). I'll be a bit busy during the next few days so cannot promise to be back on 1 Series Addicts in the interim, but I'll try and gather up your comments from this thread or perhaps someone would be kind enough to summarise them and then post them en masse over at SkiddMark.

http://www.skiddmark.com/2010/12/08/...-like-to-know/

We met with Dr Segler earlier in the year and spoke at length about this new M Coupe, so can also add that perspective if you'd like to explore further.

I can't wait to sit in the full production car, so let me be your eyes and ears.

Steve.

[LeMansM5]

Steve, nice to read you again. Look forward to your review.

[Pete_vB]

I'll throw some questions out. Some of these are probably too technical, but they might be useful...

What tires will it ship on? (hoping for Michelin Pilot Super Sport)
What RPM is peak power, what RPM is redline, and what's power at redline? (Wondering about power drop-off)
Weight and F/R balance?
Est MPG?
Fold-down rear seats?

A number of questions regarding design and tuning potential:
Have they done anything to make try and make tuning harder than the other x35i cars?
How was the power increase vs the 35is made? (extra boost, less restrictive exhaust, or?)
Turbos used?
Increased cooling?
Exhaust- number and placement of cats?
The torque rating of the transmission would be hard to come by but nice to know.
Any hardware changes they made from the 135i to increase strength, rigidity, etc?
Where did weight reduction vs the 135i come from?

For SCCA I'd like to know:
Is room for wider tires?
Is there adjustment room in the suspension for more camber?
Gear ratios?

Less technical- I'm curious why BMW left the 1M for so late in the product cycle but still decided to go forwards? Will they be making their usual profit with such a limited run?
What's the story behind getting the car made- who got it done and why?

Answers to any of these would be nice...

[TunedM2C]

Curb weight, Ring lap times, HPFP issue and will it come with any inaugural goodies.

[HBspeed]

Have HPFP issues been addressed at all? And if so how?

All other information will be given away voluntarily anyways either Thursday or soon thereafter. Therefore this is the most relevant question IMHO.

[gstopyra]

USD selling price!!! :-)

[1M Fan]

When will they be available in the US and is pricing set.

[Drillslinger]

With the relatively low volume expected, will the 1M be offered through the BMW Military and Diplomatic Sales programs?

[superchargedman]

Canadian pricing and allocation, please. Thanks!

[1swift1]

1. Euro delivery? Any reduction in price for ED?
2. USD price
3. Specs (all)
4. Options


Thx!

[Robert]

1) Cause of HPFP
2) Will it affect 1M

However, I believe if you ask these questions BMW will never invite you or your publication back again.

[blueshark]

Wow, some great questions here

[as7920]

Aha so you are that Steved.

Cooblie here, aka Mark.

Does this mean you have already selected who will be going with you?

Great opportunity!

First question from me. Will there be Euro delivery/collection for UK buyers? Haven't quite yet had a definitive answer yto this one.

Will carbon fibre roof be an option?

When will deliveries be expected n the UK? Looking to get mine in June.

And that's about it. Have a great time. Will be following your reports with interest.

Cheers,

Mark.

[Steved]

Originally Posted by LeMansM5

Steve, nice to read you again. Look forward to your review.

Thanks, glad to have something interesting to contribute.

Btw, I have recently found myself with a sub-optimal BMW status - my BMW stable has shrunk! (what's that all about, eh?). I still have my X6 35d (2.5 years on and just over 42k miles of great motoring), but I sold my M3 CSL last month (after 7 years of owning) because it was so good that I was having second thoughts about buying the M3 GTS.... then in the past few weeks I decided NOT to go ahead with the M3 GTS (after much soul searching).

It's a great car but I believe residual values will tank in the first year (It would cost £118k OTR here in the UK) and whilst I had no intention of flipping it in the short term, neither did I feel prepared to keep it for 7/8 years just to even out my losses. Gutted really, I'm now minus an M car for the first time in more than 10 years!

Anyway, thanks for everyone's questions thus far regarding the 1 Series M Coupe, I will answer as many as I can on Thursday and the remainder I will pursue answers for thereafter.

Keep 'em coming..

p.s. if anyone is interested in the new X3, I published a review of it last week - http://www.skiddmark.com/2010/12/01/...-xdrive20d-se/

[Steved]

Originally Posted by as7920

Aha so you are that Steved.

Cooblie here, aka Mark.

Does this mean you have already selected who will be going with you?

Great opportunity!

First question from me. Will there be Euro delivery/collection for UK buyers? Haven't quite yet had a definitive answer yto this one.

Will carbon fibre roof be an option?

When will deliveries be expected n the UK? Looking to get mine in June.

And that's about it. Have a great time. Will be following your reports with interest.

Cheers,

Mark.

Hi Mark, I've just sent you an email..

[Alpine*]

First let me say the CSL is a dream car for me, sitting in the garage next to an E92 M or a 1m... noice!

Re the price of a M3 GTS..... hahahaha that is exactly what I paid for my vanilla M3 in pounds stirling equivalent currency..... It would have been more like 270,000 Pounds if it got to Australia....

Anyway, questions... most have been covered except for:

• Colours colours colours what will they be (ie will there be a blue in some hue)
• What MONTH are they expected for delivery in Australia

Cheers and thanks

[muwarrior07]

[QUOTE=Pete_vB;8459015]

What RPM is peak power, what RPM is redline, and what's power at redline? (Wondering about power drop-off)
Weight and F/R balance?
Fold-down rear seats?

How was the power increase vs the 35is made? (extra boost, less restrictive exhaust, or?)
Turbos used?
Increased cooling?
The torque rating of the transmission would be hard to come by but nice to know.
Any hardware changes they made from the 135i to increase strength, rigidity, etc?
Where did weight reduction vs the 135i come from?

QUOTE]

This

[360bhp]

Hi Steved: great to see you back on line since bm3w.co.uk. cheers

[360bhp]

question to ask is "what options are available for the new 1M Coupe" ?

[as7920]

Originally Posted by Steved

Hi Mark, I've just sent you an email..

Cheers, thanks for that! You should have had my reply by now.

[BrokenVert]

Is the 6 speed the unit out of the M3 or the 135?

[Advevo]

Steve throttle response, throttle response and throttle response.

and

will it drift?