Top Gear comes in with its in-depth comparison review of the BMW 1M coupe versus the Audi RS3, perhaps its most direct rival and competitor.

This past saturday, the German Tuner magazine Sport Auto held their annual Tuner GP at Hockenheim Grand Prix raceway. This yearly event pits tuners from all over Europe against each other to see who is the best for bragging rights and with the victory comes added exposure for those shops in the winners circle. The TechTec BMW 1M coupe with its Akrapovic prototype exhaust, KW suspension, and 443hp, took 3rd place in the competition, behind a Lotus Exige and supercharged E46 M3.

1Addicts member ‘Ohcrap’ and his wife took the trip to Spartanburg, SC to take delivery of his BMW 1-Series M Coupe at the BMW Performance Center, and shares his experience with the group.

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Shortly after BMW released the 1M, it debuted the 1M SafetyCar for the MotoGP series. Besides a unique paintscheme and some CF addons, the car was also lowered a good amount and sporting KW stickers. The writing was on the wall and we all knew that it was only a matter of time before a coilover kit was released for the 1M.

The coilovers are a Variant 3 system of KW’s kit, which means that the coilovers are both rebound (infinitely) and compression (14) adjustable along with height adjustable. Lowering ranges from 10-35 millimetres at the front and 5-25 millimetres at the rear axle.

KW claims that the new system will not only improve the cornering (especially at high speed) and aesthetics, but the comfort levels as … CONTINUED

Yet another 1ADDICTS member has outfitted his 1M with a full compliment of BMW Performance parts. The carbon fiber/black parts look great on the valencia orange 1M, providing some sporty contrast against the bright orange.

Autobild recently conducted another track comparison review involving the BMW 1-series M Coupe. Stepping into the ring this time were the Audi RS 3 and the Ford Focus RS 500. The results? The BMW 1M wins, with the Audi finishing second and the Ford last. As seen in the test data below, the Audi with its AWD Quattro is the quickest in a straight line. The Audi also offers the most compliant ride according to Autobild. However, once the cars hit the track, the tide quickly turned. The 1M was already roughly 4 tenths faster than the RS 3 after the first lap. The gap opened further in subsequent laps due to the Audi’s front weight, AWD bias, and tire/brake fade. The Ford Focus RS … CONTINUED

BMW Driving Instructor Donnie Isley provides an account of time recently spent breaking in a 1M on the twisty mountain roads of western North Carolina. His enthusiasm is infectious and you can’t help but feel some of his 1M experience through his words. All in all, the 1M impressed him on these roads even more so than at the Willow Springs race track where he chaperoned the BMW 1M press drives last month.

They’re here! The newest additions to the ///M school fleet at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, SC have begun arriving. Approximately eight 1M coupes in total will be introduced to the group of M-cars which can be chosen by students participating in M performance driving courses at the Performance Center. Four 1Ms are already at the center and will be introduced to the fleet once their 1,200 mile break-in and scheduled service are completed.

The 1Ms will also mark the re-introduction of manual transmission cars to the fleet, which we haven’t seen since the departure of the Z4 M coupes.