The BMW M1 was unveiled 30 years ago as the first car created independently by the then BMW Motorsport Division. It was a racing car which BMW customers could also drive on the road, a unique project which had to overcome some tricky administrative hurdles before getting off the ground. Up to this date, it is considered to be the one and only BMW supercar ever produced.
The M1 coupe was hand-built between 1978 and 1981 as a homologation special for sports car racing. The body was designed by Giugiaro, taking inspiration from the 1972 BMW Turbo show car. At the time of its launch, it was one of the fastest and most dynamic cars on the market. It featured a 277 horsepower 3.5-liter straight-six engine and could reach speeds in excess of 160 mph. The redline came at 7,000 rpm and the M1 was capable of accelerating from 0-62 mph in 5.6 seconds.
Only 456 production M1s were built, making it one of BMW’s rarest models.
Therefore, it comes to no surprise when we learned that a 1980 BMW M1 was listed for sale at a premium price of $250,000. This particular model is up for sale in Scotts Valley, California and even after 30 years, it only has 26,999 miles on the odometer.
Simon, one of our long time readers, spotted earlier today a 1978 BMW M1 fully covered with the now famous funky camouflage seen on all the recent test mules. The car was parked on the Munich streets and all the interior design elements were fully covered as well.
We have no indication that BMW is preparing another M1 Hommage car or simply a showcase of the older M1 supercar, but we find it extremely intriguing to see a covered up model out in the open.
The M1 was unveiled 30 years ago as the first car created independently by the then BMW Motorsport GmbH. It was a racing car which BMW customers could also drive on the road, a unique project which had to overcome some tricky administrative hurdles before getting off the ground.
The M1 coupe was hand-built between 1978 and 1981 as a homologation special for sports car racing. The body was designed by Giugiaro, taking inspiration from the 1972 BMW Turbo show car. Originally, BMW commissioned Lamborghini to work out the details of the car’s chassis, assemble prototypes and manufacture the vehicles, but Lamborghini’s financial position meant that BMW re-assumed control over the project in April 1978, after seven prototypes were built. Only 456 production M1s were built, making it one of BMW’s rarest models. The spirit of the M1 lived on in the first-generation M5, as both models shared the same (though slightly modified) engines.
That’s all we have for now, but we’re hoping to find out more. Any thoughts?
