After a BMW M hate-filled week thanks to another publication, I think it's pretty timely that another publication has actually published a review of the very car that sparked BMW's M division. The M1, of course.
For me this is an important read because I don't know if I'll ever have the opportunity to drive the rare bird -- only 400 + were built -- and I don't believe many will.
This is the chance to live a dream, so to speak.
So, I've placed some snippets of the review below to whet your appetite.
**For the FULL review, click "Read Article."
...I lean in, twist the key and hear it fire at once as the Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection metes out the right ratio of fuel to air to each of six throttles for this cold morning. Were this a late-'70s Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer or Countach you'd still be juggling throttles and chokes as you tried, manually, to brew a blend acceptable to their monstrous battalions of carburetors...
...Headroom is very restricted and legroom not much better. The pedals are displaced so far to the center of the car that the clutch pedal is actually to the right of the steering column. It sounds terrible, but all midengine cars of the era were like this — Ferrari and Lambo drivers didn't have it any better...
...On the road, I can't shake the feeling that the BMW M1 is too easy to drive. In spite of its exotic specification, it's quiet, with a bizarrely compliant ride, and it ambles along in a high gear at next to no revs without protest. Were its interior not so useless, you'd be convinced you were in a low-slung 7 Series...
...Driving an M1 with the wheel constantly squirming in your hands, trimming the car's attitude to an approaching corner with tiny movements of your foot soon becomes a natural state. In this regard, the BMW M1 is closer to a Caterham than a modern supercar. And it is breathtaking, sublime fun...
Read Article