The BMW 1 Series M Coupe is the perfect example of why it's extremely hard to speculate on how a new car might be received - and then remembered. When the 1M was announced at the end of 2010, it's fair to say the reception was mixed: it didn't have a proper M car engine, it looked a bit weird, it was a parts-bin special - that kind of thing.
The 1 Series M countered that initial scepticism, however, with an unforgettable driving experience; it was the sort of raw, angry, almost belligerent fast car which it seemed the world had left behind. It was a demanding, challenging little car, launched at a time when Audi made the first RS3 - two more different approaches to going quickly you'll struggle to find.
The 1M's reputation was forged through its dynamic acuity (if no doubt helped through also being rare), meaning that its £39,990 launch price simply became a start line for secondhand values. For a few years they seemed to climb and climb, assisted further by the years in between it and the M2's arrival, and the initially cagey response to the F80-era M3. For a long time the 1M was about the most desirable modern M car there was.
It helped, moreover, that the 1 Series represented the end of an era, for both BMW M and arguably performance cars as a whole. Yes, it was turbocharged and more efficient, though also boosty and not shy showing off its forced induction. It was manual-only, passively suspended and with precious little of the configurability that's come to define a modern M car. The appeal was certainly confined to a niche - because the later M135i was a straight-six BMW that went just as fast, for less money - but that niche adored the 1M.
Only now are residuals softening slightly. Much like the Cayman R and Boxster Spyder of the same era, 1M values have proven immensely resilient given a fairly modest RRP - if easier to explain with the reasons above. Nowadays a car like this is the entry point to 1 Series M Coupe ownership, a 35,000-mile on offer for £34,995. Apparently one or two cars are sneaking closer to £30k, but this is start for now.
Resplendent in Valencia Orange, this one looks not far off factory fresh. The service history is full (and near exclusively BMW main dealer), with those lovely Y-spoke wheels unmarked and the leather in decent condition given nearly a decade of use. Despite being one of the more affordable 1Ms out there, it's a hard one to find fault with.
Indeed, the toughest decision may well be justifying this turbocharged and desirable BMW M car against other turbocharged and desirable M cars. Because although the residual values are likely to stay strong, which is certainly a positive, it shouldn't be ignored that an M4 Competition is in budget here - and an M2 Comp isn't very far off, either. Both with more exciting turbocharged engines, more modern interiors, more cohesive styling and yet still with the manual gearbox if you so wish - yes, even with the M4.
So perhaps the case for a 1M has become a little tougher to make in the past couple of years, though it remains a high point in BMW M history - and now a little more affordable as a result. From unassuming beginnings, it proved unequivocally that both small M cars and turbo M cars could be epic; as such, it's always going to be fondly remembered.
SPECIFICATION | BMW 1 SERIES M COUPE
Engine: 2,979cc, straight-six turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 340@5,900rpm
Torque (lb ft): 369@1,500-4,500rpm
MPG: 29
CO2: 224g/km
First registered: 2011
Recorded mileage: 35,000
Price new: £39,990
Price now: £34,995
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