The two-lane on this early weekday morning -- the famed Angeles Crest Highway -- is empty, save for a few commuters forgoing the freeway in favor of a midmorning rush. It's the perfect time for a friendly dogfight, which is exactly what Motor Trend senior editor Jonny Lieberman and I are doing. I'm at the wheel of the new BMW 1 Series M Coupe, chasing his white M3 up through the miles of asphalt that curve gloriously through Los Angeles' northern mountains.

To the M badge faithful, this 1 Series M Coupe signals a return to form. It's the smallest and lightest M on sale. There's no sunroof, fancy multiclutch transmission, or adaptive suspension available, even if you want 'em. It would appear to be the car for the no-frills purist, the antithesis to the 5000-pound-plus X5/6 M absurdity. But is it? The M Coupe's development, at two years, is the quickest of any M car. Its underpinnings are borrowed from the M3 and modified to fit. Even its name looks to be the product of compromise: M1 is a reserved, hallowed thing at BMW. The only badge this car wears is a lonely "M" on its trunk....