When the designers at BMW presented the M Coupe to their board of directors, they weren’t exactly jumping for joy at the idea. But, as many parts were shared with the Z3 Roadster, it was a cost-effective addition to the line-up, and so production was greenlit. The result was a car that would resemble nothing else on the road – and, due to its weird shape, would be nicknamed the “clown shoe”.
In this video from Hagerty, Magnus Walker is cruising the streets of Boston in his 3.0 CSi, and he’s on a mission to link up with the owner of a vehicle that he thinks could be BMW’s next iconic classic. Rob Siegel has always been a vintage car enthusiast and is known as the ‘Hack Mechanic’ for some of the work he has been a part of, so it was no surprise to see a Lotus Europa tucked away in his garage. But why the M coupe?
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Apparently, Rob had a 1982 Porsche 911 in his collection as well, but was running out of garage space and was forced to choose between letting either the 911 or the M Coupe go. Contrary to what many would have thought, he felt that the Porsche didn’t stand out nearly as enough as his 1999 M Coupe.
Behind the wheel, Magnus and Rob decide to go over a few numbers about the car. His ’99 M Coupe was powered by the S52 inline-six that you would find in North American-spec E36 M3s, meaning that it produced 240 hp — although, admittedly, the more recent M Coupes are the ones you want as they come with the more powerful S54 engine found in the E46 M3.
Still, they both came with a 5-speed manual, making them incredibly fun to drive, with just enough feel to make Magnus respect it as. a modern classic. Judged on its sheer unique styling, and its classic modernity, it’s concluded that it could very well be the next big thing.