Tuesday 29th January 2013

PH Blog: the best M3? It's the 1 M!

Back to back with M3 royalty the M Coupe is the cheeky little terrier that embarrasses them all

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As mentioned in the original story, the amazing but expensive BMW M3 CRT driven for these pages recently was tested alongside a whole bunch of other M cars at the Nurburgring GP track. A fleeting taste perhaps but pushing cars like the CRT and GTS to their limits for a few laps was an incredible experience. But they weren't the only M3s on offer.

CSL a breath of fresh air among the V8s

The oldest car present in that line-up was an E46 M3 CSL, a very special car indeed. The E90 and E92 generation machines were represented by standard M3s, competition packs and the specials I've already mentioned above. But nestling amongst the queue of M3s was a metallic orange interloper, a little 1 M Coupe.

Amongst the banquet of big V8s, the CSL and 1 M were beautiful palate-cleansers. Precision instruments. The CSL was, of course, awesome. The noise from the airbox, the poise of it's four-square chassis ready to grip and grip. But still sadly let down (in my personal opinion) by the standard brakes and SMG gearbox. The brakes simply don't cut it on a racetrack, and neither does the SMG.

While I grudgingly accept that systems like the DCT (with its double-clutch and instant changes) make cars better and faster, I still think the SMG of the CSL creates more problems than it solves for a competent driver. Turn it up to 'harsh' and it bangs the hell out of the diff and cooks its own fluids. Turn it down to soft and it drags on the clutch like an OAP with an overdue hip replacement.

What's that in the GTS's mirrors?

So, the best 'M3' that really took the honours in this group was ... the 1 M! Back to back with the other machines it ticked all the right boxes. Small. Manual gearbox. Proper brakes.

In short, it was brilliant. Though the six-cylinder turbo noise could never compete with the naturally-aspirated war cry of the carbon-airboxed CSL, the actual power delivered was more than enough to keep up with the 450hp monsters we were on track with.

The torque at low revs was enough to freak out the electric nannies with only the smallest of throttle openings. And then the mid-range, rapidly throwing the needle into a breathless top-end, shift after shift. I'd stuck a little 10hz GPS datalogger on the windscreen of every car I drove, including the GTS and CSL. Everytime I exited Ford-kehre and accelerated towards the hairpin, I was checking my peak speed at the braking point. The GTS scored 192km/h, the little 1M? 186km/h. Only 6km/h slower for about one third of the price. And unlike the CSL it had brakes that worked lap after lap.

Loads of torque and good brakes - unlike M3s

And it has a manual, six-speed 'box. Which is just essential for those of us who've invested far too much time and effort into the art of shifting on a racetrack. A button that does an instant downshift with perfect rev-matching and double declutching is scornful, not inspirational.

I'm sure the purists will disagree, but I reckon the 1 Series M Coupe might just have been the best M3 there. Judging by the way they hold their value , the market at large just might agree with the cheapest one in the PH classifieds commanding a smidge over £35K. What do you think?

Dale

 

 

[Pookster]

Dale, we're going to have words you and me. Tut tut.

[Pookster]

Why has this turned into a 10 page blah blah blah blah about the SMG on the CSL?

Anyway, I'm the one getting Facebook messages from Dale trying to get me to bite on the whole SMG issue. I'd just like to say right now that Dale is an annoying arse. Thank you.

[Pookster]

Chris Harris said:

So do we agree that the ultimate M3 is a CSL with a retro-fitted manual 'box?

Pook - can you arrange this please?

No

No again.

Bit more no.

Er....no.

I love my SMG, especially when I reverse.

[Pookster]

I wonder how many opinions on the SMG in the CSL are formed by people actually using the car on the road quite a lot? You know, actually driving one about, going to the shops, then to work, then on the track and so on? And no, a short blast or even a day in one doesn't count. I admit they're fickle things that you get to learn, but the SMG also learns about you too.

Hands up everybody.