I think I first saw the BMW M Coupe back at the 1998 motor show in Birmingham and I remember saying to my brother, as we were sat in the beast, one day I'll have one of these. Though at just under £50K for one with toys and me being a lowly student it seemed a distant possibility.

Seven years and a few jobs later, my salary and the M Coupe's depreciation met at an agreeable middle ground of just under £20K. After I had finished paying off my graduate loan that paid for my old 3 Series, I decided that the only option for my next car was an M Coupe. A year of saving and a minimalist social life meant that at last it was time to start test driving Coupes.

I'd done all my research and knew about the accursed Double Vanos weak point of the early models but my limited budget meant that a post 2001 model, when this problem was fixed, was sadly out of reach. For the months of February and March of 2005 I navigated most of southern England and test drove quite a few, including a shed in Essex, until I found the one for me in the New Forest. A '99 T plate in Estoril Blue with Black and Blue interior and the all-important Harman Kardon upgraded speakers. I drove home with the biggest smile and the windows down, even though it was freezing, just so I could listen to that magical exhaust note.

Part of the aforementioned research revealed that the earlier models didn't have traction control so it was advisable to take it easy in wet conditions, a point I should have spent more time remembering… Five weeks later in the pouring rain, when the logical (much smaller) part of my brain was saying go easy, the immature (much bigger) part of my brain said "Let's have it!" and have it we did! Off at a roundabout and halfway up a tree. Gutted!

Luckily the insurance paid out and I had a bit of savings left so, after much searching of both my soul and Autotrader, I managed to get another '99 T plate in Estoril but with black and grey interior, well a change is as good as a rest. Needless to say the logical part of my brain now rules the roost when the heavens open.

My new toy had extra toys such as side airbags and cruise control, admittedly it wasn't the most financially astute upgrade process but I was more than happy with the result. New toys aside, the new coupe still had the same race tuned 3.2 litre straight six with four organ pipes sticking out the back and went like stink.

Put simply, the car is mind blowing. Every detail exceeds expectation; the over the top styling, the brutish performance, the opulent interior, the really quite usable boot but most of all the way it makes me feel when I drive it. Given the choice between my car and Kate Beckinsale covered in chocolate I'd take Kate but I'd be thinking of the car all the time.

A good point about the M Coupe was that it was a sales flop so there are very few around, about six hundred I think. This rarity makes the car somewhat of a reclusive celebrity amongst petrol heads and with its quirky looks and loud exhaust note it gets a lot of attention. I'd like to think it's me people are waving at but sadly I know it's the car; they randomly stop and compliment you, which is nice if a bit disconcerting. Oncoming drivers give you the thumbs up and the local yoof give me big respect, well at least that's what I think their finger crippling hand signs mean !?!

But let's get down to the nitty-gritty: how it drives, well with 300+ bhp and torque right the way through the rev range it is simply sublime to drive. Any gear, any speed, put your foot down and the horizon hurtles towards you at an unholy pace. Though pootling round town poses no problems either. It's as well mannered as a Micra but with a baritone bass line thanks to those four outlandish exhaust pipes, I think all the best cars have four exhausts!

When hooning around Oxfordshire's B roads, the Coupe behaves impeccably but with a little more understeer than I'd like. It provides masses of information to the driver through the controls and encourages you to just go faster. The driving experience is hugely rewarding, and now the logical part of my brain is a permanent co-driver, not at all scary. It always feels planted and has masses of grip, in the dry. With huge reservoirs of torque on tap you can overtake safely with ease, then be back up to hooning speeds in no time.

Back in November I had my car tested on a rolling road with my owners' forum, z3mcoupe.com, and my Coupe put out 314.5 bhp, which I thought was pretty respectable for a stock engine with no modifications and 55,000 miles on the clock. It was also the only time I'd seen another M Coupe on the road. Seeing over a dozen of them all together with their owners made me feel like I was a member of some elite World War II fighter squadron. It was also a good time to see what the other squadron members had done to their respective dog fighters in terms of mods. Suspension mods seem to be the way forward, apparently my displeasure at the understeer is common. Induction kits too were popular but didn't yield much performance over the standard cars on the day.

Well I've owned the car for nearly a year now and am still pleased as punch; other than a minor fault with the rear wiper the car has performed flawlessly and living about 2 miles from a BMW specialist means I'm spoilt for mechanical attention. Servicing isn't excessive either with standard intervals and a major service costing about £500 at a good independent specialist. I've done about 10,000 miles in my M Coupe now and love it as much as I did the day I bought it, although I'm not as keen on trees as I was.

Most definitely a future classic…