BMW 1 M Coupe safety car

BMW turns up the heat with new MotoGP safety car that could point to 1 Series M Coupe GTS.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Tom Phillips

22nd March 2011

Meet the 1 Series with extra bite! BMW has renewed its commitment to provide safety and course cars to the MotoGP championship. And this year, the firm’s M Division has turned its attention to building a very special 1 Series M Coupe safety car.

The safety car’s powertrain remains the same as in the 1 Series M that goes on sale in the UK next month. That means a 345bhp turbocharged straight six unit driving the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

However, the suspension has been adapted for track use and now features sports dampers and adjustable camber links which can be tuned depending on the circuit. New 19-inch CSL-style wheels and soft compound tyres have been added, which cover a racing braking system.

The car has undergone a strict weight-saving regime to ensure optimum performance on the track. The bonnet is now reinforced with carbon fibre and features larger vents, while the side and rear windows are made from polycarbonate.

The exhaust has been replaced with a lightweight titanium unit, which BMW claims, “not only saves weight but also delivers a captivating sound for the benefit of the spectators.”

There is now an adjustable rear wing to provide different levels of downforce depending on the circuit, and an extra splitter has been added to the bottom of the front bumper.

On the inside, the rear seats have been swapped for a bolt-in rollcage, and the front seats have been switched for racing buckets with six-point harnesses.

The special 1 Series M Coupe joins a fleet of eight BMWs supplied to the series. Although the newcomer is a one-off, specially created for safety car duties, enthusiasts will no-doubt crave a limited run of road cars in the vein of the £117,630 BMW M3 GTS.

The 1 M Coupe features similar weight-saving and performance enhancing modifications to the M3, but doesn’t get an uprated engine, which would make the 1 M Coupe GTS more affordable and, hopefully, more likely to get the green light from BMW’s top brass.

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2 Comments

Pretty Cool

I'd like one of these. I think it would be fun. A little pocket rocket.

By badboyrocco on 24 March, 2011, 11:22am

BWW should enter the MotoGP instead of posing with a safety car.. they're on the bandwagon of the success of MotoGP which relates to bikes only.. scared they'd be whipped by the likes of Honda, Ducati, Yamaha ?

By hugo_b on 24 March, 2011, 11:04pm

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