I'm sure that between oepii and me, this'll be a fairly good spot to keep up on the mini-3:

latest chapters in the "onewatch":

front exposed! mstyle! (from http://www.worldcarfans.com)





and also, vishnu tuning (prev just evo and subie stuff) have just come out with their first package for the turbo 3, with 360 hp and 0-60 (est) in 4.5 s!

http://www.vishnutuning.com
"55-60whp and 70-80lbft"

[Edited on April 23, 2007 at 12:02 AM. Reason : fixed img src]

4/23/2007 12:00:14 AM

^
above images from worldcarfans page:
http://www.worldcarfans.com/spyphotos.cfm/country/gcf/spyphotoID/6070420.001/bmw/spy-photos-bmw-1-series-coupe-front-uncovered

earlier photo shoot images:


http://www.worldcarfans.com/spyphotos.cfm/spyphotoid/6070402.002/country/gcf/BMW/spy-photos-bmw-1-series-coupe

4/23/2007 12:09:04 AM

I think it's fair to let y'all lawl at my total inexperience with image-editing.

I did this the night I saw the photo shoot pix. I used the 130iM for the front. holy hell it's worse than I remembered. Thank god bmw let more pix leak.

4/23/2007 12:16:10 AM

the coupe is ugly as shit, but i guess they think they hatch wouldnt sell here

4/23/2007 11:13:58 AM

IMO this is the true successor to the 3 series

4/23/2007 1:06:24 PM

more spy pics of the 130i from worldcarfans, barely disguised at all, and this time of point-blank front, side, rear 3/4 and not just high front shots. It looks great, exactly like what a post-bangle/hooydonk e36 should look like. I'm flat THRILLED with the way this car is developing.

I saw an e36 323i coupe today and it looked eerily small. I'm well aware of the 3 series' perpetual swelling but I got a good reminder today. The e92 manages to look relatively compact, but compared to an e36, it's a whopper. The new 1 series is looks right on the money. I love it. And even though I have no idea how they're going to sensibly market a 135ti, that's the one configuration that keeps popping up. It's gonna be a little monster.

5/24/2007 12:15:34 AM

We had to "high up on the food chain" BMWUSA reps at our dealership Wednesday. They spoke on the 1 series and a few other things. The 1's will be here in January, and they both compared the size of the 1 to an E36. They also described the 1 series as the 2002 of today.

5/24/2007 6:49:56 PM

^^ i saw the pics online and i KNEW you must have seen them!

BUT, i am seeing this thread for the first time

5/25/2007 7:23:52 AM

^you fallin' off man!

^^
did you mean:

Quote :

"We had two "high up on the food chain" BMWUSA reps..."

?

[Edited on May 25, 2007 at 9:16 AM. Reason : .]

5/25/2007 9:15:05 AM

only marketing reps would compare the 2002 to a fucking 1series

5/26/2007 3:25:04 AM

^yeah, I mean, you'd think they'd have more prudence than to do something so vile as to point out similarities between a small turbocharged sedan that people appreciate now for it being so much smaller than any 3-series and a new especially small turbocharged sedan whose entire purpose is that people think fthe 3-series is too big. pfft. What opportunistic bastards.



(anticipated response: "I'd be shocked if the 135 weights less than 3200 lbs. 3200 is a fucking boat anchor compared to a 2002? the 2002 weighed xxxx pounds less! you better go read something")


[Edited on May 27, 2007 at 7:51 AM. Reason : .]

5/27/2007 7:46:39 AM

CLEAREST SHOTS YET, NO DISGUISE, EXCEPT FOR PART OF TAILLIGHTS

6/6/2007 2:11:01 AM

looks like ass....hyundai accent two door

diluting the brand with this piece of shit

6/6/2007 12:27:27 PM

They were all over Germany when i went a couple weeks ago.. i dont get whats so secret about em?

6/6/2007 12:36:23 PM

^ The hatch (3 and 5 door) is what's been in existence for a long time. The coupe is a new product.

This (below) is the 130i with M sport package, the most powerful 1-series, with 265 hp. A 300 hp model (with the TT 330i engine) will be out soon.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/photos.cfm/photoid/3050831.001/page/1/size/large/country/gcf/bmw/2006-bmw-130i

6/6/2007 12:51:10 PM

oic

6/6/2007 12:52:19 PM

I don't know why, but the Germans have a tendency to make their small models only as hatchbacks.

Anybody know why?

Examples:

BMW 1-series
Audi A3
Audi A2 (very cute)
MB A-Class
MB B-Class
VW Polo?
VW Lupo


The Japanese make small sedans, so why can't the Germans?

HALP!!!

6/6/2007 12:57:00 PM

That 1 series looks like crap. That Bangle styling fucking blows.

Too bad, b/c this is the true 3-series successor.

6/6/2007 1:03:54 PM

Quote :

"hyundai accent two door "

AGREED.

IT LOOKS LIKE A SEDAN WITH 2 DOORS CHOPPED OFF.

WHY COULDN'T THEY MAKE THE BODY LOOK LIKE THAT OF A 3-SERIES COUPE, YOU KNOW, SLOPING AND SHIT, AND A PROPER COUPE WHICH HAS BEEN DRASTICALLY CHANGED FROM THE 3-SERIES SEDAN.

6/6/2007 1:06:42 PM

^^cuz its more practical and everything you see in Germany is a wagon or a hatch. I easily saw a 4:1 ratio of 5series wagons to sedans there.

6/6/2007 1:06:58 PM

if the 1 series coupe comes to the us and you can get the 3 L twin turbo and its under 32k loaded, im game

6/6/2007 3:56:53 PM

Eh. It's okay. I do see the lineage to the E30 325, but...the roofline is kinda awkward and the rest of the styling doesn't inspire me.

Then again, if I was going to get a BMW on that budget, I'm one of those fools who would probably take my 30k and find a nice used M3.

6/6/2007 11:03:37 PM

^i concur.

6/6/2007 11:55:00 PM

Bmw's retarded to not put the S54 in a 1 series and call it the M1. I don't want an E9x M car, they're too big. E46 isn't avail. as a sedan. I like the company, and most of the cars they make, but I'm going to have to consider Porsche instead as Bmws get bigger and heavier...
Ahmet

6/6/2007 11:59:43 PM

But...M1 is already taken.

6/7/2007 12:06:15 AM

Yeah, the name was used for a "supercar" ~2 decades ago. It doesn't even fit in their use of the M name anymore. If they made another supercar, it'd make a lot more sense to call it something like the M10...
Ahmet

6/7/2007 12:27:03 AM

^

Various things have been reported by various magazines:

Speculation: BMW M1 a spiritual successor to the original M3?

Quote :

"BMW plans to offer a high-performance version of its U.S.-bound 1-Series coupe called the M1, according to a new report by Germany's AutoBild magazine. The car would come equipped with the same motor used in the E46 M3 and the new Z4M, the report says."

Report: BMW plans M1 successor with lightweight M10

Quote :

"The automotive press has long reported BMW's not-so-secret plans to rival the Mercedes SL-Class with a high-performance luxury successor to its Z8 roadster. But another successor to an equally iconic BMW may also be in the works — an "M10" design to follow in the footsteps of the M1 supercar. Powered by an up-rated version of the company's popular 5.0 liter V10 engine, the M10 would take on the Audi R8 and Porsche 911, according to Germany's Auto Zeitung. BMW reportedly considered using a mid-engine layout, but instead elected to stick with what it knows best: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive. So far, development has been handled exclusively by BMW's M division, the report says. One key distinction between the M10 and Z9 projects is weight. While the Z9 will focus on luxury and feature a folding metal roof, the M10 will come with a fixed roof only, with low weight being the focus of the program. According to the sources, the M10 will weigh under 3000 pounds thanks to exotic materials like carbon fiber and magnesium. Styling is said to be inspired by the BMW CS Concept, which offers a glimpse of the automaker's future design direction. Whether the CS four-door-coupe will see production itself remains a mystery. Auto Bild recently reported series production of the CS is unlikely."

And check this out... a tuner's illustration of its tuned version of a car which doesn't exist yet!

Tuner imagines BMW M10

Quote :

"Automotive tuning firm Racing Dynamics has published an illustration of what it calls the RS55 Coupe — a tuned version of BMW's yet-to-be-announced next-gen super coupe. Racing Dynamics reckons the "BMW M10" — the basis for its tuner car — will be on the market in 2009. The uprated edition will have 655 horsepower and a top speed in excess of 215 mph, the tuner says. Since Racing Dynamics is unlikely to have any special inside information on BMW's plans, we suspect this illustration and product plan is strictly fantasy. Nonetheless, the artists' rendering provides yet another glimpse at where BMW might be headed. "

red x: http://www.leftlanenews.com/wp-content/plugins/iimage-gallery.php?idpost=4038&idg=1&idi=1

6/7/2007 12:47:48 AM

the newest pics look very evocative of the e30 325s... I dig it. This car is going to be very sensitive to color, wheels, sills, lip spoiler, and bumpers, just like bimmers ought to be. nobody ever got psyched about a stock 318ti, but the e36 m3 is everyone's favorite. I think the new 1 will have a similar appeal.

6/7/2007 1:03:25 AM

I see what you're saying, but I don't think joe schmo thinks that the e36 M3's hot anymore. My gf. thinks my car looks a bit ricey w/the Koseis, and she drives a new (blue) Civic Si...
My car:

Ahmet

6/7/2007 1:18:22 AM

Quote :

"Speculation: BMW M1 a spiritual successor to the original M3?"

no, sorry.. the orig. m3 was created speficically for production class racing.. the new m1 is/was not

6/7/2007 1:34:20 AM

^^breathtaking photography there Ahmet. I can almost see a black bmw through the watermark. jk.

Yeah, I can see how the Koseis look a little ricey. Factory wheels have intriguing sculpting that your wheels just don't. Not that they should, though. lighter is better as far as I'm concerned and I was very impressed with your m3's handling and ride on the way to the atm the other day.

6/7/2007 2:47:38 AM

I love the pic, but I'm not about to pay $40 to have a cleaner copy...

Factory wheels look great, but they're not that wide, and the Koseis are about 5-8lbs lighter per wheel. They're also much easier to clean, and offer the ability to inspect and/or bleed the brakes w/out taking the wheels off, if you're really handy.
Ahmet

6/7/2007 4:55:45 PM

Quote :

" and they both compared the size of the 1 to an E36. They also described the 1 series as the 2002 of today."

i had this idea in my head that it was gonna be 2002-sized. an E36 is hardly that small.

6/7/2007 10:11:24 PM

^the whole 2002 thing was never going to happen. A new mini is about that size or bigger. The 1 is there to fit in the gap between those two.

6/9/2007 4:43:45 PM

yeah, i just had in my head that the "1" was gonna be small...not a regular midsize car that just isn't as overgrown as a new "3".

[Edited on June 9, 2007 at 5:31 PM. Reason : asdfafs]

6/9/2007 5:30:55 PM

Quote :

"^the whole 2002 thing was never going to happen. A new mini is about that size or bigger."

Sorta, and sorta not so much. The 2002 is almost 2 feet longer than the new Mini. Similar width, height, and actually weighs less by 1-200 lbs., but a lot longer.

Not sure about interior space and all that.

6/9/2007 6:37:48 PM

i've always thought that a highly stiffened and grossly overpowered 2002 would be a sweet little sleeper/track monster.

6/9/2007 6:44:34 PM

that, and i totally wish someone would make a SMALL turbo AWD car...like Civic hatch-sized with something on the order of an Evo's drivetrain and suspension. niche market, i understand, but i don't think they'd be able to build them fast enough (see Lotus Elise, Jeep Wrangler for reference)

6/9/2007 10:17:04 PM

There have been a bunch of those in Europe, though most of the really good ones have been racing homologations of some sort...Peugeot 205 T16, Renault 5 Turbo (not AWD) and Sport Clio V6 (also not AWD), Ford RS200 kinda fits though it wasn't based on anything production...

6/10/2007 12:49:57 PM

ok

let me clarify:

i'd like one that i can buy...in America...without breaking the bank...or going through all kinds of silly importation shit.

6/10/2007 2:52:41 PM

I wasn't actually suggesting that you buy one of those...it was more a "why do the Europeans get lots of fun shit that we don't" kind of post.

6/10/2007 3:27:56 PM

i don't know

probably because of our nanny-state automotive regulations that keep stuff like the Elise out, then fatten it up (relatively) when it finally makes it...or cost us performance and features on stuff like the Evo (although it's not european). I don't know why our M3s are usually more weak sauce than theirs, but I bet some stupidass gov't regulation is to blame.

and the same reason(s) that GM quit making Z28s so they could produce more Aztecs

it's baffling

[Edited on June 10, 2007 at 3:48 PM. Reason : asdffasd]

6/10/2007 3:43:22 PM

well when it costs more than $20 bucks to get a license, then maybe the government will feel ok letting us have some more power

6/12/2007 1:06:29 AM

no

the gov't is not into relaxing its grip

the fight is to minimize how tight they squeeze

6/12/2007 1:25:08 AM

One of the things I don't like about the 1-series are the humongous headlights.

These taped down ones look a lot better:

(They are from a story: Legendary German Race Car Champion Testing at Nürburgring... go to http://www.worldcarfans.com and it is on the front page)

BTW, the car below is the 135i with M sport package.

6/15/2007 2:04:07 PM

i don't like the headlights
looks like a z4 and a 7series bwned and something hideous came out.

6/15/2007 2:07:09 PM

The e36 m3 was watered down for the U.S. market, because of badge engineering. To be specific, BMW felt that the average m3 buyer could not swallow a price tag that was twice the cost of the cheapest model in the line (318ti I believe).

This is the reason why Lexus/Infinity/Acura exist. Interestingly however, they seem to be turning away from that. Are Americans becoming less brand conscious? Who knows. I do know that I'd give a significant sum of money for a European spec e36 M3 w/the 300+hp motor, and the m5 brakes +the 6 speed. Shame we didn't get that car...
Ahmet

6/15/2007 5:39:29 PM

v6 mustang, 19k
shelby is almost 3 times that.

6/15/2007 6:28:18 PM

I'm just telling you the reasons BMW has cited, not saying I agree with it, but BMW certainly did sell a lot of e36s state side...
Ahmet

6/15/2007 10:04:03 PM

135i FULLY EXPOSED.

Sorry to say, but the back is Kia-ish/Hyundai-ish (actually the current Kias and Hyundais look pretty good, so this BMW's back looks like the Koreans from a couple of years ago).






If pics don't show: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=499

6/27/2007 5:48:58 PM