Quote:
Originally Posted by Artemis
Did you notice that the whole M3/M4 specs presentation is pretty low key about the 1M ? Yes, referencing to E46 M3 and E9X M3, but what about the 1M ?
Imagine for a moment an ///M car featuring a 6-cylinder, 3.0 litre displacement, at least 500 Nm, at least 369 lb-ft of torque, two turbos, flirting with 1500 kg weight, manual transmission, 50:50 weight distribution, air curtains and standard 19" wheels.
"Ah, exists already: those are the specs of the new M3/M4", you say ? You're right ...however, those are also the specs of the 1M (and not particularly those of an E46 M3 or of an E9X M3).
So the referencing to E46 M3 and E9X M3 is nice, but IMHO the M3/M4 - although a kind of its own - has closer family ties with the 1M. The 1M may have been a love child of the ///M Division, but nevertheless it's part of the ///M family.
The new M3/M4 will undoubtedly be a great car. Side-effect of its specs: the value of the 1M has further increased. The little brother ain't that little. The future (2013) proved that, back in 2010, the 1M was more than decently powered. Maybe BMW now considers that, from hindsight, the 1M should have been powered and designed a bit less spectacular. But BMW should never forget that the mere existence of the 1M unexpectedly sparked some sort of "Life Cycle Impulse" (LCI) for the ///M brand and reputation, providing some extra wings to fly again as it used to do in the past, refocusing towards what matters for the aficionados: more speedboat - less yacht.  |
Artemis, totally feeling your sentiments. I will go even further than that and claim that the new M4/M3's most real predecessor is the 1M before any other car. In my opinion, it is obvious.
So, I will repeat what I've posted many times before; 1M was - among other things - an experiment for BMW and for M division, a relatively lighter in-line six turbo M car, and it did work...and we disciples of the 1M, first guys who jumped over allocations and fought our ways through obstacles to have and keep one, were merely guinea pigs, to test it for BMW, and for other enthusiasts.
No, they won't talk much about this, and they will ignore this to-your-face part of the story, because that is not what actual and future M3 owners wish to hear to make a buying decision.
Instead, they will highlight the likes and similarities of the new car, if any, to the old M3 as well as some mighty competitors like the new 911. That's how it works, fair or not.
Yes, for connaisseurs, I also believe 1M will earn more and more respect and recognition after the new M3. It is indeed the 4.5th generation M3