In the 1970's BMW decided they would establish themselves in the class with Porsche and Ferrari by creating a supercar. To do this they figured a design would have to be created that would compete with the Group 5 race car series, and then build it.
Homologation rules stated that BMW would also have to build 400 of these cars for road use and so the BMW M1 was born. Sadly however, the BMW M1 race car had a troubled gestation period and its story is now regarded by many as an important lesson on how not to build a supercar.
BMW motorsport department sought the experience of Lamborghini to help them design and construct the car. The end result was a silky, low riding, middle of the engine vehicle. The body work was made by Ital Design. The engine was a 3.5 litre with turbocharger meant to produce horsepower of 850 bhp. These specs were congruent with the Group 5 racing specifications.
Lamborghini was experiencing some financial setbacks during this time. They proved detrimental to the project since there were several delays and then the project was moved to Baur Germany. Still BMW motorsport department plodded on releasing the M1 in 1978, two years later than the project was supposed to be. This provided another problem because the Group 5 racing rules were modified and the M1 didn't fit in with the new standards.
BMW did not want to lose all of their hard work. To save the project it was proposed that the M1 be allowed into a one make race series, the Procar BMW M1 Championship. The race was a support to the Formula 1 Championship. Stars of the F1 were Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, and Nikki Lauda. They were all racing in identical vehicles.
Whilst the race series was a success the road car BMW M1 never really took off, even though in standard trim it produced 277 bhp, could reach sixty in 5.6 seconds and top out at 162 mph. Eventually just 456 models were built making it one of BMW's rarest models and one that is highly sought after by enthusiastic collectors.
As a road car the BMW M1 was superb, featuring genuine supercar performance wrapped up with BMW's legendary build quality, and considerably lower running costs than other supercars of the era. Externally the M1 was striking with its twin kidney shaped front grill, pop up BMW headlight bulbs and the heavy black slats over the rear windscreen.
Despite the lack of success the BMW series had this did not mean certain aspects of the car were not reused later on. The engine was used in the BMW M5. The design was also brought back for a concept car called the M1 Homage.
Homologation rules stated that BMW would also have to build 400 of these cars for road use and so the BMW M1 was born. Sadly however, the BMW M1 race car had a troubled gestation period and its story is now regarded by many as an important lesson on how not to build a supercar.
BMW motorsport department sought the experience of Lamborghini to help them design and construct the car. The end result was a silky, low riding, middle of the engine vehicle. The body work was made by Ital Design. The engine was a 3.5 litre with turbocharger meant to produce horsepower of 850 bhp. These specs were congruent with the Group 5 racing specifications.
Lamborghini was experiencing some financial setbacks during this time. They proved detrimental to the project since there were several delays and then the project was moved to Baur Germany. Still BMW motorsport department plodded on releasing the M1 in 1978, two years later than the project was supposed to be. This provided another problem because the Group 5 racing rules were modified and the M1 didn't fit in with the new standards.
BMW did not want to lose all of their hard work. To save the project it was proposed that the M1 be allowed into a one make race series, the Procar BMW M1 Championship. The race was a support to the Formula 1 Championship. Stars of the F1 were Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, and Nikki Lauda. They were all racing in identical vehicles.
Whilst the race series was a success the road car BMW M1 never really took off, even though in standard trim it produced 277 bhp, could reach sixty in 5.6 seconds and top out at 162 mph. Eventually just 456 models were built making it one of BMW's rarest models and one that is highly sought after by enthusiastic collectors.
As a road car the BMW M1 was superb, featuring genuine supercar performance wrapped up with BMW's legendary build quality, and considerably lower running costs than other supercars of the era. Externally the M1 was striking with its twin kidney shaped front grill, pop up BMW headlight bulbs and the heavy black slats over the rear windscreen.
Despite the lack of success the BMW series had this did not mean certain aspects of the car were not reused later on. The engine was used in the BMW M5. The design was also brought back for a concept car called the M1 Homage.
About the Author:
Whilst owning a BMW M1 is out of the reach of most drivers the new BMW M3 is a chance to experience the performance and handling of a racing sports car. Meanwhile if your budget won't stretch to a new BMW, the Caterham 7 is a great little racing car for the road.
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