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[ MUSIC PLAYS IN BACKGROUND ] This is the BMW 1M Coupe.
So named because it was the MI's version of the old one series coupe and because historical reasons meant it couldn't be called the M one.
Only four hundred and fifty came to Britain, and it danced with the lights of the Porsche Cayman R, Audi RS 3, and a few others/.
It was heralded by some as the latest, greatest thing.
One of the best N cars ever and it was all kinds of wonderful.
That was probably thanks to its small size, massive punch, manual gearbox, and the fact that it'd been given a proper working over by the N division.
Really, it's no wonder people loved it.
Under it's oddly short hood sits a three litre, twin turbo charged straight six With three hundred and thirty five break horse power and three hundred and sixty-nine pound foot, BMW reckoned it would hit sixty-two from rest in four point eight seconds and go onto one hundred and fifty-five miles an hour They also said it was quite efficient.
It would do nearly thirty mpg.
Now for twenty eleven, that is both very fast and quite good on fuel.
Here's the thing about the 1M.
When it was new, BMW sold it for about 40 grand.
Now, if you want one you have to buy one for more than 40 grand.
So if you've got one, or if you're looking to get one, you won't lose any money on them, because they're hugely sought after.
When you look at it You can understand why.
It's small, it's a creation, it looks good and it's a proper M Car which means it's properly fast.
In all, it's pretty much bang on.
The first generation Mercedes hatched was not a pretty thing.
But I think the coupe was really was.
But with all the [UNKNOWN] onboard it just got better.
It's a properly aggressive thing to look at.
It's got vents, big wheel arches, a spoiler built into the boot, massive wide tires and those four pipes poking out from under its rear.
Not only does it promise some serious pace But it looks the part too.
So driving the junior, junior, junior [UNKNOWN] car.
So I last rode one of these many, many years ago, and it left an impression.
It has a fantastic tactility to it.
A proper engagement that nowadays is just going.
Its gear box is fantastic.
The gear lever itself is a nice short notch and change.
It feels great.
The thing that really impresses me though about this is how quick it feels.
How fast it is.
Because man it can hustle.
It's got that weird twin turbo series turbo engine things.
The little ones are low down so you can get yourself up to speed.
And the big ones for when you're hustling and you can fly off down the road.
You can if you're not very good at skidding.
But in the end mode on it will give you a little bit of heroics, make you feel like a God and then bring you back in.
However, you can turn all of that up and you can have some serious fun.
Like compared to say a bigger car It is a little bit short, it is a little bit snappy.
So when it does go, you've gotta kinda pick it up rather rapidly.
But this thing just puts a smile on your face.
There's loads and loads of grip on off that.
And when you want to exceed it, you can.
I think the sound Wicked.
The noise it kicks out.
You don't lose anything here, well not really.
If you look at the Porsche Nine Eleven, you used to get the trademark howl.
But with the turbo car, it's a little bit more muted, a little bit quieter, not quite as exciting.
Whereas this, this is a turbo charged car.
And people who say, " well turbos are killing performance cars," People hailed this is one of the greatest M cars ever.
People say this is one of the best.
And you know what, I'm kind inclining to agreement judging by car has driven this all.
When the 1 Series Coupe made way for the 2 Series, BMW's focus shifted, the odd numbered cars with a sensible one, families, business things, the even numbered cars
With a more lifestyle people.
The 2 Series was the coupe for the gad about town.
It also meant a fast one wouldn't have to have a backwards name like the 1M.
They could call it M2.
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The M2 poked its shiny head after the [UNKNOWN] in 2016 to thunderous applause.
All who have driven it seem to adore it.
Much like the M1, it's small, fast and hilarious fun.
Why wouldn't it be?
All the right bits are there.
In here we've got a three liter turbocharged engine with 365 horses and 343 lb-ft.
With the dual clutch automatic, naught to 62 takes 4.3 seconds and you get something called the smokey burnout mode.
Now the stick shift is a little bit slower, 4.5 seconds to 62 but it will blip on your downshifts for you which is pretty cool as they go.
That top speed is 165 miles an hour unless you spec the N driver's package, in that case it raises to 168.
Now BMW says you can get over 30 mpg as well.
If you drive like an elderly lady.
Seeing as both cars are here and I have a nice straight to play with, would it be rude to see who would win in a drag race?
And actually, why am I even asking that?
[SOUND] Unlike the 1N the N2 isn't properly limited.
I mean, yeah, you'll struggle to find one now, but sooner or later there'll be some on the used market and they shouldn't be quite expensive in the long run.
When you look at it from BMW's point of view, this is now an N2 level [UNKNOWN] into the N ecosystem.
It's not quite as expensive as the N3 or the N4 But it offers still that hint of M lunacy.
You can daily this really easily.
But the same time, you can have some fun on the track when you want to.
It's still got the M dynamic mode as well.
So it'll properly get its **** out given the right provocation.
You can turn everything off as well, so you can really get to grips with the car This isn't a cut from M car but a bargain driver's car.
Now this is the second time I've been in the M2.
The last time I was on some very greasy, very rainy roads in Spain and I was terrified of falling off a mountain.
Now I have a dry race track and set of tires that don't belong to me.
I also got the automatic.
Last time I had a manual And this is auto gear box is slick man.
It's really, really slick.
We're in sport plus now which basically sets the car to super slippery, have lots of fun on the track and everything is as aggressive as it can possibly get.
And I know this sounds hugely cliche, but it does sound like a proper [SOUND] Over the one end I mean yeah we haven't got a manual to manual comparison.
The DCC does make life a little easier but the engine feels so smooth and it revs up so quickly.
You can get some proper speed out fo this, like seriously, these 60 differentials do speak for themselves.
But this feels like a faster car.
It feels less on-the-rugged-edge all the time.
With the 1M, it's a very urgent car.
You feel like you're pushing it quite hard.
Whereas with the M2 it's just doing its thing.
It'll daily just go around a race track, have some fun.
The steering is a bit lighter than the 1M.
If anything I don't think it's quite as sharp But it's still pretty damn good actually.
You don't feel like you have to put in as much effort with it either.
This thing just glides, it really wants to play with you.
Way more readily than the one M, whereas the ram you do have to provoke it a little bit.
You gotta work at.
Hardish.
With this, it's, again it depends on your inputs.
If you know what you're doing with it, you know exactly what point it's gonna start playing silly buggers with you.
And you can either choose to indulge it.
Or you can just back off, and it'll be a perfectly normal happy little car again.
I'm one of those people that says an automatic gearbox removes some From the driving experience but in situations like this when you're on a circuit it actually makes life a lot easier.
And the noise this thing makes some of it is a little bit artificial which is cheating somewhat.
Cuz you don't get that in the one end it grips so much you can feel it digging in Give it a little bit of a swirl then it goes okay, no more grip and no more grip.
[LAUGH] What a wonderfully communicative car.
This thing is fantastic.
Yes, the 1 M is brilliant.
It's a fully analog affair.
But there's a car for the Indy The M-2's going to take some beating.
The question is, can the M-2 live up to the 1-M or is it not quite as good?
The 1-M was a breakout car.
A motor that brought back memories of the 2002 Turbo.
But for our era.
It was also a bit of a ground breaker.
The first proper M car to have a blower.
Here's the thing, they're both fantastic.
The 1M requires actual driving to get the best out of.
Its manual gear box is a delight.
Very heavy but perfectly weighted.
The engine is brilliant.
The M2 is more composed, easier to drive and a huge amount of fun as a result.
It's a refined one end.
The N2 is going down as one of the great cars no doubt, but if it were my money, I'd probably take the old car home.
Who needs refinement when you can have a little bit of a work out?
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