You may have already read reviews of the 2011 BMW 1-Series M Coupe (aka 1M), but if you have, you’ve likely suffered through strained historical analogies, detailed comparisons to previous M cars, and sheets of performance data.
You’ll find a minimum of that here. Instead, I offer you a fellow enthusiast’s take on the car, filtered through the desire for a nimble, focused, affordable car that’ll get you to work and get you seat time at the track with equal ease and ability.
The forum for my analysis: the official BMW North American press launch, held en route to and at Monticello Motor Club, where BMW brought me briefly to test the car. It was a limited day-long engagement, restricted to a few hours of open road driving and a dozen or so stop-and-go laps. Not enough time for a full evaluation, but enough to get the overall feel of the car.