Photos

This is a Big Car. It is the new BMW 1 Series M Coupe, and it has finally come amongst us.

The newest baby of the M range is, according to BMW, the successor to the original E30 M3 of the 1980s; that rather fabulous track monster tamed for the road.

You have probably etched the salient facts of this 1M (not M1) onto your chest a-la' Memento, but if, like that film's amnesiac protagonist, you have forgotten, they are thus: 340bhp, 1,500kg and ten seconds quicker around the ‘Ring than the E46 M3.

It packs 331lb ft of torque (368lbs on overboost), hits 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds and goes from 0-124mph in 17.3. It's 71mm and 44mm wider front and back than the 135i, and there are only three paint finishes - white, black and the orange you see above. It returns a claimed 29.4mpg and weighs in at £39,990.

Now, without further ado...