BMW 1 Series M Coupe reportedly faster ’round the Ring than E46 M3, E60 M5

2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery

With 335 horsepower underhood and a 0-60 time pegged at 4.7 seconds, there’s no doubt that BMW‘s hot new 1 Series M Coupe is a sprightly little monster. But just how fast is it? For that we’ll want to look at its Nürburgring lap times for some guidance.

As with any performance Bimmer, the 1 Series M Coupe underwent much of its development and fine-tuning on the Norschleife, and sources indicate an impressive lap time of 8:12. That the current E92-generation M3, with its high-revving V8 engine and 8:05 lap time, makes better time around the Nordschleife than the 1 Series M Coupe should come as no surprise – Despite being smaller and lighter, BMW wouldn’t have allowed the 1 M to overtake its costlier brother.

What’s more indicative, however, is that – on the more level six-pot playing field – the 1 Series M Coupe is reportedly quicker around the ‘Ring than the previous-generation M3′s 8:22 lap time. (The track-focused CSL version is significantly swifter at 7:50, its successor the M3 GTS that much more so at 7:48, but with more hardcore versions of the 1 Series M Coupe potentially in the pipeline, all bets are off.)

The new 1 Series M Coupe is also apparently quicker around the Ring than the outgoing M5 – that supercar of four-door sedans – with its award-winning V10 engine, proving that agility will pip power on anything but a straight line any day.

Gallery: 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe