A Modern Classic: The BMW 1-Series M Coupe, by GT Spirit (Again!)

Make that two ///M-cars in two days.

Today's feature is actually one of my favorite Bimmers of all time. It's the 1-Series M Coupe, 1/18 scale by GT Spirit, in Valencia Orange.

Get it right. It's the 1-Series M, or 1M for short, and not the M1. We all know Matchbox done screwed up with its nomenclature, so don't make the same mistake. This is a completely different car from the old school classic/exotic produced by BMW. The 1-Series M Coupe is a classic in its own right, a modern one at that. It's been an instant classic from the moment it debuted. Not many cars in today's world of mass production achieve the status of appreciating value right off the bat. I'm not sure I can name another one that isn't a limited-production supercar or hypercar.

It's a quirky little car with polarizing looks and undeniable performance. As far as the design is concerned, I'm a fan of all of it. The chunkiness, the bloated wheel arches, and the excessive number of creases and vents that come standard with every ///M-car today.

Needless to say, GT Spirit once again gets top marks for this model. The aggressiveness of the car has been recaptured very well, and it looks much better than Minichamps' offering, which is precisely why I picked this one.

If You Don't Succeed, Try Again: Matchbox's Best-Of-World Series, Part 1

Matchbox is one of those brands that gets kind of neglected nowadays. It doesn't have the sheer firepower that Hot Wheels has, and distribution and availability has been frustratingly spotty. As of the past few years, the releases have been largely generic castings, the kinds that hang on the pegs for months and only get spontaneously picked up by desperate parents who need a toy for their crying child. As a result, collectors have almost completely forgotten about the orange brand. I, myself, rarely check the Matchbox pegs now, under the assumption that I'll end up finding the same insignificant models that I saw on my last trip to the store. And the trip before that. And the trip before the trip before that.

Well, Matchbox is listening. They are slowly phasing out more generic castings in favor of licensed ones. How many of you have seen Target stores completely rid themselves of Matchbox pegs altogether? Fortunately, they're coming back. Matchbox has announced that singles will be making their way back to Target within the year. That's something I'm definitely looking forward to.

But the biggest buzz regarding Matchbox has been this. The so-called "Best Of World" series. It's essentially a direct heir to the Supreme Heroes line from last year, with a few important changes. By the way, remember the Supreme Heroes line? Maybe you don't, and I wouldn't blame you for it anyway. Talk about short-lived; the series was canceled after just two waves (of four models each). In summary, a complete failure. And when you fail, you go back to the drawing board. You rethink, restrategize, and redesign. This is the end result, and it's a heck of a series.

Ten models, total, in the series, eight of which I've acquired. The other two, a golden fire engine and a BMW motorcycle, can stay on the pegs for all I care. Each of these models comes with extra details and, most importantly, molded wheels with rubber tires. The modern version of the Matchbox Premiere series that I so loved during my childhood. More on that in the coming days, but let's focus on these models first.

The series is a melting pot of castings, from emergency to service vehicles, modern to classic cars, sports cars to sport bikes, spanning numerous countries of origin, hence the "Best Of World" moniker. It's almost a shame that there's only ten models altogether; there's so much potential with all the great castings that Matchbox has in its arsenal. Hopefully we'll see more in the future. I'd like to think that this initial wave is a "test run" or sorts for Matchbox.

The four I'll be showing today are the BMW 1-Series M, '93 Ford Mustang LX SSP, Lamborghini LM002, and '69 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. I'm gonna go ahead and say that the 1-Series M is the best car in the set. Obviously, that's a biased point of view as it's both my favorite BMW and my favorite Matchbox casting, but the rest of these are fantastic in their own rights. See for yourself! Which model is the one for you?

Happy 100th, BMW!

In this day and age, everyone loves celebrating anniversaries. First anniversary? Let's host a big event! Twenty-sixth anniversary? Sure, why not? But BMW just reached the century mark, and that's something definitely worth celebrating. One. Hundred. Years.

And for that, I brought out all of my BMW's for a group photo. It's way past midnight here and I'm still up writing this. It's totally worth it. You only reach 100 years once and it's an incredible milestone.

As diecast collectors, we've been blessed to have access to miniatures of some of the best cars to come out of Bavaria. We've seen Hot Wheels do its thing, bringing heat in both modern and classic models. Sure, there have been a few duds, but mostly studs. Matchbox, after a brief hiatus, has given us a number of gems in the past few years. While BMW may not have the diecast presence of some of the other major automotive brands, it's slowly getting there. Let's take a look back at some of the best (and maybe some not-so-good) ones!

The 1-Series M is my favorite BMW of all time. It's fat, it's stubby, it's got ridiculously wide hips and an abnormal number of ducts, vents, and creases, but I love all of it. It's only right that it is also my favorite Matchbox model of all time. Nothing beats the orange of the debut release.

The M5 Polizei was my choice for Matchbox model of 2015. That's quite the praise considering the stiff competition it faced, with models such as the Tesla Model S and Alfa Romeo 4C. Four-doors are my kind of car, and they're largely under-appreciated when it comes to diecast. Thank goodness for Matchbox. We need more of these cars.

The E30 M3 is one of the best Hot Wheels mainline releases in recent memory, the silver one in particular. Gold wheels are always a plus, and so are the seldom-used lace wheels. It's a wonderful casting, but it hasn't always been executed to its full potential. I have to say I'm not a fan of the other three colorways (red, white, blue). Let's hope this model receives the proper treatment in the future.

The 2002 was the gateway for Hot Wheels to produce European classics and signaled the return of BMW. Since this was released back in 2012, we've seen new BMW models in the mainline every year. This Jun Imai casting still remains one of the best. It's hard enough as it is to find this casting in my neck of the woods. That's a testament to the 2002's popularity.

This is the BMW 1M from the Hot Ones series a few years back. A seldom used casting, it will be making a return in the upcoming (or depending on where you live, already out) Walmart-exclusive BMW series. It screams throwback, with its realistic livery and the school wheels. 

From here on out, I'll let the pictures do the talking. You might see some that are drool-worthy, and some that may be cringe-worthy.

It's ironic how some of the best castings here are the most rarely used. Z4 GT3 and M3 GT2? Only appeared as first editions with a recolor. 2002 and E30? Haven't been in the mainline the past 2-3 years. I think we can all agree that we need more of those and fewer E36's and M4's. The good thing is that we have plenty coming in the future. The Hot Wheels BMW series, for one. Then, the debut of the 3.0 CSL. Oh, and Matchbox has a variation of the Police M5 that just released.

All I have to say is, keep 'em coming!