Hartge BMW 1M Coupe rear angle
I don’t know what you guys think, but I am a huge fan of BMW and the 1M is the car that would definitely roll into my garage. The BMW 1-Series M Coupe has proved to the world that a little bit of elbow grease and a date with one of the best tuners in the business could transform a cheap and cheerful hatchback into a fun car that now ranks as the most desirable of BMWs.
Hartge BMW 1M Coupe side
Soon after its launch, the BMW 1M Coupe has earned the praise of numerous journalists who have had the privilege of putting the car through its paces, exploiting its limits of grip and precision handling. Until now, if you wanted an M-powered car, the M3 was the cheapest bet. Now though, with the 1M, BMW has given the world a much cheaper alternative to driving nirvana.
Hartge BMW 1M Coupe rear
The M3 and especially the new F10 M5 are among the top rated performance sedans money can buy, but the BMW 1M with comparatively tiny 3.0 litre tubrocharged in-line 6 cylinder engine from the old Z4 was enough to transform the humble hatchback into a serious road-racer. In standard-spec the 1M coupe has 340 PS of power under the hood. Hartge, who specialize in tuning BMW and Mini cars remap the engine of the 1M to boost power to 401 PS! The torque figure of 530 Nm is equally mind-boggling.
To put things in to perspective, the Hartge 1M Coupe now packs the might of an M3. Couple this to an exquisitely tuned chassis and lowered suspension, the car can hit 124 mph in just 11.34 sec. Hartge have also thrown-in a set of new wheels and minute aerodynamic upgrades, but the rest of the car has been left untouched. Now, that’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing and you surely don’t want to mess with one at the lights, do you?