The moment we saw the 1 Series coupe, way back in 2004, we sat up with our eyes popping out. Someone had heard our cries – and it was BMW no less! It looked perfect – it was small, and had oodles of attitude flowing from every inch. It was, perhaps, all the car that a man with a nuclear family would ever need – or so we thought. But then, BMW thought we were naive. And to prove it, they went to the temple of performance called the M division, and asked the priests there to make a more hardcore version of the 1 Series.

This hardcore version was unveiled recently, and showcased at the 23rd edition of the North American International Auto Show. And while the US is home to the hot rod, this is one pocket rocket that’ll shame most V8 powered beasts not only around the corners, which is what it’s designed to do, but in a straight line as well.

BMW, despite trying their best to be subtle with the 1 Series M, didn’t really manage to keep the car looking restrained. Yes, it’s only the necessary things that are worked on to give it some edge, but the larger air intakes up front, more pronounced wheel arches, and the M badges on the sides of the car really shout out loud. The clearly obvious lip spoiler, 19-inch wheels, and those LEDs don’t really do much to help its case either.

Of course, the 1 Series M will have some serious kick under its flared bonnet. A twin-turbo, 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine rated at 335bhp and 500Nm of torque is what you’ll get. The engine will work in harmony with a 6-speed manual transmission, helping the 1 Series M do the 0-100 km/h sprint in a claimed time of 4.9 seconds, with an electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h. The double pivot front axle and the five-link rear axle of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe are made almost entirely of aluminium to keep the weight down. The car will also feature BMW’s M differential that senses and channels the necessary amount of drive torque to the wheel that requires it.

There’s also an expansive list of safety features that is populated by acronyms like DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), ABS (Antilock Brakes), ASC (anti-slip control), DBC (Dynamic Brake Control), and CBC (Cornering Brake Control).

But today, the central topic is environmental consciousness, and BMW understands that. Outright performance is not what the 1 Series M is all about, as the car’s eco responsibility quotient is pretty impressive as well. The car has a more than acceptable fuel consumption rating of 10.5km/l, and CO2 emissions of 224g/km. The 1 Series M Coupe will cost 50,500 Euros when launched in Germany in a short while – that’s a bit over 30 lakh Rupees. Not bad! But, the greatest shame is that you can’t have one – because it’s not destined for our shores anytime soon.