The glory days of the 1M are long gone but BMW still offers a 1 Series with some M-ness baked in. Now in its fourth generation, the company’s smallest car can be had in M Performance guise. Rebranded as the M135 (without the “i” at the end), the hot hatch is compatible with several M Performance Parts. We had the opportunity to shoot the flagship 1er with the extra sporty-looking bits.
Mind you, this is still a far cry from the rear-wheel-drive, six-cylinder 1M E87 and its manual gearbox. However, BMW does try to spice up its xDrive-, four-cylinder-, and automatic-only M135. You could say it gets a factory body kit with a chunky front spoiler lip. The side flick, canards, or whatever you want to call the add-ons on the corners of the front bumper have the same shiny black finish.
The car we shot had the optional M Compound brakes with gray calipers hiding behind two-tone, 19-inch alloy wheels from the MPP catalog. BMW threw in side sill extensions and a matte black M Performance decal to drive the point home. At the rear, the roof spoiler is surprisingly large while the new diffuser is finished in aramid. The quad exhaust layout is standard on the M135 but this car had an upgraded version with a carbon tailpipe trim.
Other trinkets shown in the video include the carbon side mirror caps, an aramid antenna, and the red towing strap. We also know BMW intends to sell a fuel filer cap made from carbon and that Alcantara-wrapped central armrest. The latter has M Performance branding and the three famous colors, of course.
We’re afraid to even ask how much this build would cost. An M135 with all the regular options goes for about €70,000 in Germany. This version decked out with M bling is obviously a lot more expensive.
