Is This S65-Powered Frankenstein BMW 1M a Masterpiece or a Monster?

As far as stock BMWs from the modern era go, the BMW 1M is near-perfect. It’s a compact, rear-wheel drive BMW M car with a straight-six up front and a six-speed manual. However, there are a lot of BMW fans that still knock the 1M for using a regular Series BMW engine and not a bespoke engine. But what if someone stuffed a proper M engine into a 1M, say an S65 V8? That’s essentially what the brilliant masterminds at Masterclass in Miami did and it’s incredible.

In this new video, Larry Chen from Hoonigan checks out this incredible Frankenstein BMW 1M and we get a rundown of its build and it’s mind-blowing.

The project started out as a BMW 135i, actually. The people at Masterclass then took a BMW 135i race car, which was fitted with factory BMW 1M fender flares and body panels, and tore its 1M bits off. Those 1M bits were then welded to factory-spec onto the 135i project car and painted in San Marino Blue. From the outside, the only way to tell that it isn’t a stock 1M is its sunroof, which wasn’t available on the 1M. Aside from that, there’s no telling the difference.

Under the skin, however, it’s almost entirely comprised of E92 BMW M3 parts. Admittedly, so was the actual BMW 1M. However, this Frankenstein 1M has the most important aspect of the E92 M3 — its engine. These wonderful lunatics shoe-horned the S65 4.0 liter naturally-aspirated V8 of an E92 M3 under the hoof of this 1M and made it not only fit perfectly but also gave it all of the requisite hardware, plumbing and electronics from the stock M3. So when you pop the hood, it looks like a bone-stock E92 M3. It’s wild.

To make it even better, this insane BMW 1M has an Akrapovic muffler attached to a resonator-back straight-piped exhaust, which sounds absolutely incredible. It sounds so good I think I need a cigarette after listening to it on repeat. And I don’t smoke…

You need to check this project out because it’s fantastic. Not only is the idea of an S65-powered BMW 1M brilliant but the work and craftsmanship that’s on display is astonishing. Is this Frankenstein 1M a masterpiece or a monster? I think it’s both.