Tech Specs
ENGINE
3.5L Inline 6
HORSEPOWER
277 HP
0-60 SPEED
5.7 Seconds
TOP SPEED
165 MPH
HIGHEST REPORTED SALE
$577,500
Past / Present
1981 BMW M1
The 1981 BMW M1
The most recognizable BMW ever made
Many acknowledge the M1 as possibly the most recognizable BMW ever made, but most are unaware of its complex and difficult journey from concept to production vehicle. The intended goal for the M1 was to create a car that could challenge the strongest Ferraris and Porsches of the day. The car was the first of its kind for BMW in many ways, and even first in the world in a few respects.
Firstly, it was BMW’s first “M” car ever made, and to this day the only M car not based on an existing model. Originally intended for racing, the M1 had to meet FIA homologation standards. However, the issue was the company was set up to mass produce cars in huge numbers, not build a small production run of just 400 cars. To that end, BMW contracted Lamborghini in Italy to handle the assembly work for them. Unfortunately, this was around the time Lamborghini started experiencing financial hardships, causing the project to stall. With timelines tight, BMW couldn’t wait for Lamborghini to right itself, and instead proceeded with contracting several companies to make the M1 a reality.
The first of those companies was Marchesi, who they hired to design and build the tubular spaceframe chassis that would make up the bones of this legendary car. From there, it went to the famous Italdesign for its fiberglass body, and then on to the German coach builder, Baur, for the final assembly.The beating heart of this beast was the M88 inline–6, BMW’s all German performance motor that would go on to be put in the iconic 635CSi. It featured cutting edge four-valve per cylinder technology, the first of its kind anywhere. With a displacement of 3453cc, the road car version of the engine produced 277hp and 239lbft of torque. The race engine on the other hand was tuned up to 470hp, with some turbo charged variants pushing up to 850hp.
All this innovation and hard work was just a bit too late however. By the time the M1 launched, the FIA had changed their regulations requiring BMW to have all 400 homologation cars finished at time of entry instead of the previous 24 month deadline. This essentially killed the M1 in its infancy, largely preventing it from competing in the Group 5 races as planned. After finally completing homologation for the 1981 season, the M1 actually began to win a handful of races, but it was too little too late because Group 4 and 5 were totally supplanted by Group B in 1982. And so, the M1’s short and troubled racing career came to an end. A car ahead of its time, plagued by adversity that should have rocked the racing world, but was instead late to the party. It still stands as a testament to BMW’s engineering and resourcefulness that while only 400 road cars were built, the M1 is still one of the most iconic BMWs ever manufactured.
