What is it?

The fastest 1 Series ever made; the spiritual successor to the M3; the most exciting car BMW's M Division has made for years; the best drivers' BMW for a generation. However you wish to describe the 1 Series M Coupé - and no matter that it's seemingly been around for ages already - it's certainly one of the stars of Detroit.

Why's it here?

It took about four minutes from the time the 1 Series was announced (the model, that is) for calls for an M Division version to get made. It's taken the launch of the coupé and many years of denials for it to finally come - and it's still not called the BMW M1.

No matter, for we already know that this is good enough to cannibalise sales from the mighty BMW M3 - especially as it's cheaper, priced at about £40,000. It hits 62mph from nought in 4.9 seconds (BMW M3: 4.8 seconds) thanks to a 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine with two turbos blowing into it. It has less power than the M3 (335- vs. 414bhp) but more torque (332- vs. 295lb.ft).

Show stopper or floor filler?

It's a quite subtle looking thing given its potency, but those with an eye for BMW 1 Series detailing will appreciate just how flared those wheel arches are, and how deep the front bumper is. The interior could do with more pizzazz for our high-performance tastes, but you can't have everything.

Oh and we've already driven a pre-production version. Read the review here.

Mark Nichol - 10 Jan 2011