Weigh too heavy

BMW i4 M50 IS A BIT OF A ROAR DEAL

There is only one of BMW’s ‘M’ cars I haven’t driven and that’s the M1, the first of them. It was a mid-engined car built between 1978 and 1981, and powered by an exotic 3.5-litre straight-six engine.

Only 453 were built and 53 of those were racing versions. It’s a great-looking machine and hopefully one day I’ll achieve my dream of having a go.

Fortunately, most of the other M cars have been terrific. Like the original M3, which was light, small and powered by a modestly powerful four-cylinder engine. Aficionados know that car as the E30. I’ve driven all the various M5s too, and they’re brilliant, especially the E39 5.0-litre V8 one from the late 1990s. My current favourite is the M2 Competition which, like the original M3, is relatively small and light.