Some cars are just meant to be driven. There's no two ways about it, they just need to be driven, and driven hard. Not to push them would be blasphemous, sacrilege, criminal even. The BMW 1M is one such car.
Behind the wheel of the Valencia Orange beast with 335 horses pulsating under the hood care of the 3.0L twin-turbo, ready to explode out the rear wheels, it was impossible not to push it – truly it was.
I had actually rehearsed what I'd tell the cops when they stopped me, and even considered handing them the keys and telling them to see for themselves what this car was all about. They'd have to believe me then. It honestly makes you drive like you want to lose your license. Common sense goes straight out the quad tailpipes like the burbly aural symphony of the 1M, popping and snarling through every gear. This car is savage, raw – dare I say, pure perfection?
I already knew how much St-Pierre loved this little thing, but thought he was exaggerating in his usual way. Well, he wasn't. And now we've both been gushing over it all week (much to the office's dismay), and will continue to gush over it in the weeks to come. This car leaves a serious impression on drivers and passersby alike.
All week I received thumbs up, nods of approval and general looks of awe on the road. They see how special it is, how much of an impression it can make, how incredible it is.
But back to how it makes you drive – you'll all have to check back for my full review on the 1M to discover how I feel about the car as a whole package – because that's the most important part.
There are very few cars in which I've felt the need to push as hard as I did in the 1M. Let me think: the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera (check), the Mercedes McLaren SLR (double check), the last-gen BMW M3 (oh yes), the gorgeous last-gen Jaguar XKR, the JCW MINI Cooper (had to), and my very own Subaru Impreza WRX (that's a given). Each of these cars gave me the itch to drive in a way I wouldn't normally. Just as the Lexus CT 200h changed my driving style, so too did these monstrous rides.
I'm not one to be (too) aggressive on the road (normally), but the 1M had me commanding respect on the road in a way I'm not apt to do. It's as if I was possessed, taken over by the M badge, infused with adrenalin the moment my finger hit the start/stop button and my eager little hands wrapped around the thick M steering wheel and M-badged shifter.
And I loved it. Going from car to car, week after week it's easy to become jaded, bored even. And that's a shame because I love what I do and I love driving. So, when I get time behind the wheel of a car like the 1M, my faith in this industry and the vehicular world is restored. If a car like the 1M can instill a feeling of pure “I want to drive this like I stole it” euphoria in me, then it must be incredible.
And it truly, truly is.
Have you driven anything lately that's made you want to drive like you'll lose your license? Come on, tell the truth.
Behind the wheel of the Valencia Orange beast with 335 horses pulsating under the hood care of the 3.0L twin-turbo, ready to explode out the rear wheels, it was impossible not to push it – truly it was.
I had actually rehearsed what I'd tell the cops when they stopped me, and even considered handing them the keys and telling them to see for themselves what this car was all about. They'd have to believe me then. It honestly makes you drive like you want to lose your license. Common sense goes straight out the quad tailpipes like the burbly aural symphony of the 1M, popping and snarling through every gear. This car is savage, raw – dare I say, pure perfection?
I already knew how much St-Pierre loved this little thing, but thought he was exaggerating in his usual way. Well, he wasn't. And now we've both been gushing over it all week (much to the office's dismay), and will continue to gush over it in the weeks to come. This car leaves a serious impression on drivers and passersby alike.
All week I received thumbs up, nods of approval and general looks of awe on the road. They see how special it is, how much of an impression it can make, how incredible it is.
But back to how it makes you drive – you'll all have to check back for my full review on the 1M to discover how I feel about the car as a whole package – because that's the most important part.
There are very few cars in which I've felt the need to push as hard as I did in the 1M. Let me think: the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera (check), the Mercedes McLaren SLR (double check), the last-gen BMW M3 (oh yes), the gorgeous last-gen Jaguar XKR, the JCW MINI Cooper (had to), and my very own Subaru Impreza WRX (that's a given). Each of these cars gave me the itch to drive in a way I wouldn't normally. Just as the Lexus CT 200h changed my driving style, so too did these monstrous rides.
I'm not one to be (too) aggressive on the road (normally), but the 1M had me commanding respect on the road in a way I'm not apt to do. It's as if I was possessed, taken over by the M badge, infused with adrenalin the moment my finger hit the start/stop button and my eager little hands wrapped around the thick M steering wheel and M-badged shifter.
And I loved it. Going from car to car, week after week it's easy to become jaded, bored even. And that's a shame because I love what I do and I love driving. So, when I get time behind the wheel of a car like the 1M, my faith in this industry and the vehicular world is restored. If a car like the 1M can instill a feeling of pure “I want to drive this like I stole it” euphoria in me, then it must be incredible.
And it truly, truly is.
Have you driven anything lately that's made you want to drive like you'll lose your license? Come on, tell the truth.