A favorite among enthusiasts, the BMW 1M comes from a time when the focus was being put on the driving experience rather than on cramming as much tech as possible. That’s not to say fun cars are not around anymore, especially with a new stick-shift M2 around the corner. One of the best things about the 1M was its fun size, made obvious if you put it next to the latest 2 Series Coupe.

As you can see, this is no ordinary version of what BMW internally referred to as the “Pyrat.” Its inline-six turbocharged engine has been massaged to deliver 425 horsepower and 637 Newton-meters (470 pound-feet) of torque. Dutch tuner Mosselman upgraded this low-mileage 1M with less than 59,000 kilometers (36,660 miles) on the odometer.

The N54 has copious power reserves across the rpm range, enabling the car to complete the 100 to 200 km/h (62 to 124 mph) sprint in 9.21 seconds. Flat out on an unrestricted portion of the Autobahn in Germany, it reached a GPS-verified speed of 268 km/h (166.5 mph) while the digital speedometer was showing a more optimistic 282 km/h (175.2 mph).

With a manual gearbox in a small and tossable rear-wheel-drive car, the 1M is a real hoot. We’d argue this one has been tastefully modified. The upgraded engine sounds more than decent, especially as you get closer to the 7,000 rpm threshold.

As some of you will recall, the 1M was originally supposed to have a limited production run of only 2,700 but BMW had a change of heart after being bombarded with demands from customers to build more. In the end, a total of 6,309 units were assembled between 2011 and 2012. It’s still a relatively rare car, which explains why values have shot up in recent years.

The M2 G87 debuting soon has what it takes to be a worthy successor by remaining a fairly compact RWD car with an inline-six engine and a manual gearbox. It could pack as much as 450 hp if reports are to be believed, but chances are it’s going to weigh considerably more than the 1M. For reference, the M240i xDrive weighs 1,765 kg while the 1M tipped the scales at 1,495 kg. Yes, the M2 will be slightly lighter than the M Performance model after removing the AWD setup, but still a lot heavier than the 1M.

Source: AutoTopNL / YouTube