BMW wants you to think that the new 1-series M Coupe is somehow a direct descendant of the original E30 M3. You can see why the folks at M GmbH would want to make the historical link, too. The original M3 is a serious bit of performance kit with a near-legendary status.
The new 1-series M Coupe, meanwhile, is the new kid on the block, the latest (and cheapest) addition to the M-car range. It's also the first proper M car to have its engine plucked from the production line rather than being a bespoke unit. It's also turbocharged and, although forced induction is the acknowledged way forward for M cars, to the M purist natural aspiration is the only 'proper' type for a worthy bearer of the 'M' badge.
The new 1-series M, therefore, has its work cut out if it is to prove its mettle. And we're going to find out over the next couple of weeks by squeezing an entire year's-worth of stuff into a fortnight, a kind of compressed long-term test; no less tough but a lot quicker.
We'll find out later on in our time-lapse test whether the 1M really does have any deep-down links to the E30 M3, but the E82 M (for that is its BMW codename) does at least bear a superficial resemblance to the E30 of old - it's three-box shape and relatively diminutive proportions see to that.
And although the E82 M car hasn't been sprung from the same competition roots - it's certainly no homologation special - the 1M is actually a more bespoke beast than you give credit for.
Beneath the widened body work lies not a 1-series chassis, but actually a shortened M3 (competition pack spec) chassis (hence the need for the bulging wheelarches), complete with M3 CSL-aping Y-spoke alloys (again the same as you'll find on competition pack-equipped M3s). So there's proper M-car engineering in there - this isn't just a case of some chunky bodywork, a few badges and a smattering of Alcantara (though there is that, too).
Okay, so the engine isn't quite the M3's V8, but its twin turbos help it to build a perfectly respectable 335bhp and an impressive 332lb ft of torque, which is available from 1500-4500rpm, with an extra 37lb ft of 'overboost' available for short bursts. Its eerily similar figures to that you'll find on the spec sheet of an old E46 M3 - and the 0-62mph time of 4.9secs is darned close, too.
Looking forward to a 1M fortnight, sorry, year
The rest of the 1-series M's spec seems to represent another commendable return to simplistic form for BMW's M division, too. There is only one steering setting, one suspension setting, one transmission choice (a six-speed manual). There is an 'M' button on the steering wheel, but all that does is asks the ESP to back off a little. This is not a car that you have to spend twenty minutes setting up - you just get in it and drive. Good on you, BMW.
So the initial signs are promising. This might be a proper M car after all, and BMW's bluster about it being the spiritual successor to the E30 M3 might even be justified. We'll certainly find out over the next couple of weeks, because we've got plenty of stuff planned for the bright-orange beastie.