One to Buy: 850 mile Valencia Orange 2011 BMW E82 1M Coupe
Thanks to compact dimensions and low weight, a BMW Motorsport-tuned version of the E82 1-series was always going to become a critically acclaimed performance icon.
Effectively an early 21st century iteration of BMW’s revered 2002 Turbo (1973-75) and E30 M3 (1986-91), the 1M Coupe was produced for a disappointingly brief 16 month period between March 2011 and June 2012 during which time a little over 6300 were built.
In typical M-car fashion, the 1M came with improved brakes, steering, wheels and suspension, more power and torque, custom body enhancements and a very high specification interior.
Of the 6342 1M Coupes built, 1204 were right-hand drive. Of these, just 450 were officially allocated to the UK market. With such a limited number, the 1M was unsurprisingly over subscribed in this region.
Most cars were immediately pressed into daily driver duties, but quite a few were preserved but used by collectors and others parked up with practically delivered mileage.
One car which definitely falls into the latter category is currently on offer at the Munich Legends showroom in Chelwood Gate, East Sussex. A 2011 four keeper example showing just 850 miles, its finished in the 1M’s trademark Valencia Orange and comes freshly serviced.
Reprinted below is Munich Legends’ description:
Price: £69,995
Mileage: 850 miles
Year: 2011
Transmission: Manual
Exterior Colour: Valencia Orange
Interior Colour: Black leather
Former Keepers: 3
A unique opportunity to own a collector-mileage – and the lowest mileage car on the market this year by far – 1M in incredible condition, for a genuinely sensible price.
The BMW 1M is considered by many M fans to be the best M car to come out of Munich during the first half of the 2010s decade. An immediate hit with the press and enthusiasts alike, it was claimed by the then Top Gear team (Clarkson-era) to be the best car since the mk1 Golf GTi.
And owners don’t seem to disagree – nor did the market, with resale prices quickly outstripping the new car forecourt price – an almost unheard-of occurrence.
Only 450 1M coupes were made for the UK RHD market, and they were so oversubscribed that BMW staff and network customers were stripped of their allocations to provide cars for a list of celebrity orders.
Compact, powerful, and as lively as a box of inebriated frogs, the M1 was a fabulous way to launch BMW M into the turbocharged era, immediately embarrassing those who said that turbos were the beginning of the end.
The 1M was so good, so versatile, that most of them ran up significant mileage when new – they made a brilliant and practical, infinitely useable daily drive. The few that were bought by collectors seem to have slowly crept up in mileage over the years, meaning that the number with under 5000 miles on the clock is probably in single digits – to say nothing of the number left under 1000 miles.
Only produced in manual and pushing out 335 horsepower from the N55 powerplant, the 1M was the last M car to use hydraulic steering, making it one of the last true enthusiast’s M cars of the era
One look at those bulging arches and fat rear end, with its angry quad pipes and squat stance, tells you all you need to know. Not a car for the faint of heart…as you’ll see from this clip from Clarkson’s Top Gear (which certainly helped BMW sell out at the time)
This particular 1M is genuinely exceptional. Finished in signature (and at the time 1M-only) Valencia Orange – which was also the launch colour – and black leather interior with contrasting orange stitching , which stands out all the more with an orange car, the interior and paintwork is utterly unblemished – as you’d expect from a car with little more than delivery mileage.
Fully serviced according to BMW’s recommended schedules, impeccably cared for, and fully inspected by our technical team – who declare it to be probably the best 1M they’ve ever seen – this is the perfect car for a collector/enthusiast who is looking for the very best 1M they can buy.
