One of the most desirable BMWs of the modern era, the 1 Series M Coupe was in high demand following its launch in late 2010. The original plan was to make just 2,700 cars, but the German luxury brand had a change of heart and ultimately boosted production to 6,309 units. Famous YouTuber Tim Burton aka Shmee150 just bought one that has an interesting history.
Finished in the desirable Valencia Orange paint, the so-called 1M is a right-hand-drive example that has racked up around 93,000 miles (nearly 150,000 kilometers). Don’t go into thinking those miles were put by multiple drivers as the E82 is only now changing hands for the first time. Yes, it’s been with the original owner until recently. The car in question was #647 in the production sequence at the Leipzig plant in Germany.
BMW only made 1,204 cars with a RHD configuration and this one comes with a dealer-fitted plaque on the center console denoting it’s one of the just 450 units that were originally sold in the UK. The walkaround video allows us to have a look underneath the hood where the N54 calls home, a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six with 335 horsepower. However, as BMWBLOG exclusively revealed last month, the 1 Series M Coupe was initially supposed to get a four-cylinder engine.
While this car’s original owner kept it intact for more than a decade, during which he had it serviced at the same dealer, Shmee plans to modify it by doing a “ton of upgrades.” As to why he bought it, the YouTuber used to own a 123d E82 and he wanted to experience the range-topping version of that generation. The 1M sits alongside a few other “affordable” cars such as a Lotus Emira and a Renault Clio V6 in an otherwise exotic garage packed with supercars.
The 1 Series M Coupe’s equivalent today is the M2 rather than the front-wheel-drive-based M135i xDrive. In 2023, you can still get a compact-ish sports car from BMW with a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive, but the G87 is much bigger and heavier than the 1M.
Source: Shmee150 / YouTube
