Post by Kasey Kagawa

Those of you who read this site on a regular basis (Hi mom!) may know that I have a slight crush on the BMW 1-series coupe. I think it’s a much welcomed return to the legendary 2002 and E30 3-series of yore, when they were little larger than the drivers that piloted them but still crammed with some of the best performance tech available, making them some of the fastest cars of their era. Every night, I write a secret love letter to BMW’s M Division, pleading with them to build a M version of the 1-series coupe. Then I drink a bottle of Merlot, tear the letter up, and cry myself to sleep.

Car Magazine claims to have seen a internal BMW document regarding the engineering and performance of a 1-series coupe with the 3.2L straight six from the outgoing M3 under the hood. According to them, the document purported to have the theoretical “M1″ going from 0-62 MPH in 5.2 seconds and hitting 175 MPH when derestricted. Certainly worthy specs for a M car, and the renders they mocked up look good too, combining aspects of the new M3 with what we’ve seen of the 1-series coupe so far.

As a quick aside, I think that when BMW finally does announce the M-touched 1-series, they should leave the M1 name alone. The original M1, a mid-engined 1970’s supercar with the straight six that would go on to a starring role in the M635 CSi and the original M5, was and is so different from the other members of the supercar club that putting its name on anything than another mid-engined supercar would dilute the image of the legendary car. Instead, I propose that henceforth in perpetuity, we refer to the potential M Division 1-series how they referred to the first M street cars, by adding “M” in front of the numbers, making Car Magazine’s version the M132. Anyone discovered referring to the M Division 1-series in any other fashion will be caught and shot on sight. Got it?

BMW [M132] heads new-look 1-series range [car online]