The wait has stretched for years. And now it ‘s over. Last Monday, with an impromptu crowd of customer and employees looking on, I drove my 1M out of the dealer showroom.

Last week we published our full review of the 1 Series M Coupe. And as you likely remember, we loved it. Now it ‘s time for us to walk the talk a bit and actually live with one. And that starts with paperwork and something called a break-in period.

After being on the waiting list for many years it was almost anti-climatic as I signed the paperwork and took procession of the keys fobs. That said there ‘s something entirely satisfying about buying a new car and the 1M is obviously no exception. (Full gallery after the break)

So now comes the dreaded break-in period. I fully intend to baby the 1M throughout the first 1,200 miles as M engineers suggest. And according to a few I ‘v spoken to in person that means no sudden acceleration until the magic 1,200 mark. According to them however full acceleration after 600 miles is ok with the M Differential. However it is essential I “roll-on ” the pedal and don ‘t floor it as that will ultimately make the differential a bit noisy later in life. And as I ‘m keeping this one for the long-haul I ‘m going to do it right.

Next up I ‘ll be talking about the handful of accessories I ‘ve added to the car post purchase. As most of my previous BMWs and MINIs I ‘ve gone the OEM+ route with a few choice accessories that stay true to the original concept and what the designers had intended. But more on that next week. I ‘ve got some driving to do.