When Kay Segler took control of BMW's M Division in May 2009, one of his earliest pronouncements was that it was essential for M to have an entry-level car below the M3, an entry-level model that turned out to be the BMW 1 Series M Coupe. Unlike the small RS Audi, the idea of a My First M is nothing new. Twenty-five years ago, the 3 Series was the smallest BMW you could buy, so the original E30 M3 was by default the entry point. But as the 3 Series grew through E36, E46 and into today's E92 generations, smaller sports cars and the 1 Series have slotted below it.

A christening wouldn't be a christening without the extended family, so we're combining the 1M's debut with a mini M Power get-together: E30 M3, Z3M coupe and Z4M coupe.

In its marketing push, BMW has stressed the 1M's link to the E30, and it's easy to see why: Its three-box silhouette, four-seat layout and basic dimensions are a closer match to the 1M's than either Zs, but, more importantly, the E30 remains the definitive M car. It makes sense to link your new model — one that has no storied race heritage — to an established icon, especially when you're controversially introducing turbocharging to an M car for the first time (let's ignore the SUVs, shall we).

But if you flick through BMW's back catalog, you'll find a car that has even more in common with the hot new 1 Series than the E30: the 2002 Turbo. The 2002 model line came from a time before M, but it's really where the ethos all started.