Sure I am borrowing the name Eleanor from Gone in 60 Seconds. In the movie a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500 – is Eleanor,that is what Randall “Memphis ” Raines (Nicolas Cage) has had a hard time getting but wants more than anything.

The 1 ///M is not all that different to Eleanor since many of us enthusiasts want BMW to build a car with more feel and toss-ability, characteristics some feel are unatainable (yours truly excluded)!Like Eleanor, the 1 ///M will have performance and be a rare beast amongst its mass produced brethren, something that will become a collectors dream in decades to come- reminiscent of the more recent MINI GP.

The real concern with this soon to debut ///M product is whether or not it can live up to the substantial hype that has been generated. There has not been such an anticipated product from BMW ‘s performance arm it recent memory. It is being hyped as a complete package rather than a car with a great new motor; what was the last ///M product that was not based on an all new exclusive motor? (Hint: It came before the E46)

In some enthusiasts minds if this 1er even partially misses and does not live up to the hype the damage may be hard to overcome (your reader emails have stated this regularly) as this car is said to bring the brand back to its roots.

We ‘ll soon have a better understanding of what this new car really is and how it truly differentiates itself from the E46 ///M3 in some circles it is being compared to.