A German tuner has boosted the BMW 135i coupe to 350bhp – making it more powerful than the last generation BMW M3.

The BMW 135i coupe is a sleek two-door version of the baby 1 Series hot-hatch and comes with 300bhp as standard.

Now Hartge – who specialise in tuning BMWs – have upped the 135i coupe’s twin-turbocharged 3-litre engine to a massive 350bhp.

View more images of the Hartge BMW 135i coupe

And the performance figures are on par with the new V8-powered BMW M3 – 0-62mph takes just 4.8 seconds, and the Hartge-tuned 135i coupe will hit a top speed of 174mph, which is faster than any standard BMW.

But this baby Beemer has the show to match its new-found go – Hartge recently revealed its full bodykit pack for the BMW 1 Series coupe.

The 135i coupe gets a front-lip spoiler, modified side skirts, a boot-lid spoiler, rear diffuser, and a quad-exhaust package as found on all M-powered BMWs.

And Hartge is offering 18-inch wheels at the front and 19-inch light-alloy wheels at the back, while inside the 135i coupe gets aluminium pedals and a three-spoke sports steering wheel.

Hartge state a fully-equipped 135i coupe with the tuning kit and aerodynamics package will cost approximately £38,000 without VAT.

View more images of the Hartge BMW 135i coupe

BMW launched the 1 Series coupe earlier this year, with many believing the 300bhp 135i coupe the “spiritual” successor to the classic BMW M3 of the 1980s.

View more images of the standard BMW 1 Series coupe

See what happens when BMW modifies its own - this is the shape-shifting GINA concept car: