Quote:
Originally Posted by Ender_
Wow, not even going to really try with this group, you've all obviously driven one (more then just around the corner) and know exactly what your talking about, good stuff! (If your sarcasm meter is going crazy then its working.)
Anyway, what I can tell you about it which is interesting is the types of people I see driving at the local track. About half the owners of 1M's in our city track it, at a normal track day event I might see one M3 (E9x) and I'm sure there are hundreds of M3's in our city.
If you want a GT car go for the M3, I wanted a track car so I was looking at the Cayman S or 1M.
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There might be some validity to your point about more 1M owners tracking their car than M3 owners as a percentage but here's my take on it. The first time I went to VIR, there were about 3-4 1M's but there were still a hell of a lot more e92/e90 M3's. This was a BMWCCA event so all the BMW fanboys showed up. None of the 1M's were very fast except for one that had significant work done to it and was owned by an instructor. The rest of them, including a VO 1M driven by an instructor was getting in my way. The second time I went to VIR was with Trackdaze and guess what? Not a single 1M showed up but there were plenty of M3's. This support the theory that the 1M is a car marketed by BMW to the hardcore BMW fanbois as stated by other posts in the forum.
Based on my observations, the 1M is not a better track car than the M3. The fact that I was a first time newbie at VIR and was able to smoke every 1M that ran in my sessions validate what the magazines and you guy's favorite person, Randy Pobst have written about the shorter wheelbase 1M. The argument to own the 1M is pretty lame, mostly to do with the collectability because of how rare they are. My personal take on it is that it is just another ugly 1 series with a lot of M3 parts thrown into it but it's missing heart. Heart being a ///M engine. Would I say that to a 1M owner at a HPDE? Of course not, because at the end of the day we are all car enthusiasts but a lot of your M3 brothers are thinking the same thing.
First time on VIR, 2:15 fast laps on Contisport 5ps, AW 1M at around 5:00 mark and VO 1M (instructor driving Hans around) at around 14:30 mark.
Second HPDE, second weekend on VIR running in the intermediate solo group. Popped my Contis and had to borrow Han's worn out PS2's but still managed 2:17 laps.
Here are some of the M3's at the Trackdaze event, not to include Doc and about 3 others.
