Leib Engineering BMW 1 Series M Coupe is Blue-Wheeled Brawler

on July 29, 2013 at 5:08 pm

For a while, it seemed like there was going to be one tuner shop for every BMW 1 Series M Coupe built. Yes, that would have been a rather tall order, considering BMW built 6,309 of the things, but for a while it sure seemed like the aftermarket performance community was on track to do so. However, things been pretty slow of late with regard to making the baddest 1er badder still.

That changes in a big way with the custom creation you see here. This particular extreme E82 is a product of German tuner Leib Engineering, and there’s more to it than just the matte gray vinyl wrap and light blue wheels. A lot more to it, actually.

For starters, Leib Engineering installs a Bilstein B16 PSS10 suspension kit which, along with the baby blue alloys from Bavaria Wheels, should help make the handling even sharper. And that matte gray vinyl wrap isn’t just a simple smooth finish; no, it features “panels” and areas in different colors and textures, plus various small logos and designs, including silhouettes of a children’s tricycle accompanied by the phrase “FWD sucks.”

And front-wheel-drive really does suck if you try to funnel a crapload of power through the front tires. Thankfully, the Leib 1M is, like the stock model, rear-drive. With Leib’s upgrades (including a bespoke Supersprint exhaust system with butterfly valves that are controlled by the “M button” on the steering wheel), the 3.0L twin-turbo straight-six now makes 395 horsepower and 413 lb.-ft of torque. You say those figures are unworthy of even being dignified with a scoff? Okay, well you should know that Leib Engineering says it can extract as much as 493hp and 443 lb.-ft from the engine by fitting larger turbos.

Leib isn’t saying what these power upgrades will do for acceleration figures, but it has admitted that, with the stock speed limiter chip removed, this car will hit 190 mph. And Leib Engineering is also keeping the cost of all these upgrades close to the lederhosen. But if you can live without the vinyl wrap and Smurf-tastic rims (And really, how many of us can’t?), we’re guessing it won’t be super pricey.

Source: Leib Engineering