The futuristic BMW M1 supercar was a late 1970s collaboration with Lamborghini that hit a few snags, but resulted in a long-lasting M-series legacy. Wouldn’t you love a ride in this collectors’ dream?
collaborated with Lamborghini to design a supercar for racing. The production process was fraught with problems, and in the end, only about 450 M1s were sold.
Now they are a rarity and collector’s dream, combining a BMW with futuristic Italian design. Even though the M1 was not very successful in its time, the components of the M1 found their way into other generations of BMWs, leaving a lasting legacy.
Production problems
From the beginning, BMW ran into problems in developing this hoped-for race car. The collaboration with
hit a major snag almost immediately since Lamborghini was in financial crisis, bordering on bankruptcy.
BMW had to bring in other Italian firms to help with the design, including Marchese, TIR, and Italdesign. The German company Bauer further collaborated to assemble the cars in Stuttgart.
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In 1978, production of the first M1s began. A new M1 would cost around $115,000 which was an extremely high sticker price at the time. This kept demand quite low for the M1 since the engine didn’t perform like more desirable cars available for less money, like the Ferrari 308.
About 400 M1s were produced. The M1 engine was a 3.5L six-cylinder, five-speed manual with an output of 274 hp.
said it looked “like a car from the future, but horsepower was less than 280 hp, and the top speed barely touched 160 mph. It would take nearly six seconds to reach 60 mph. That’s about the same as a 2019 Toyota Camry.”
It just didn’t have enough oomph to be a legendary supercar. As
pointed out, “M1 only had 6 cylinders at a time supercars needed at least 8 to be taken seriously.”
Procar M1
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BMW really wanted this car to race, however. So, the carmarker produced about 50 or so M1s in the Procar series. These engines were 470 hp and stripped down to maximize racing ability, but they were still too heavy to really compete. BMW staged the Procar race having both amateur and professional drivers race in the Procar M1 series.
Unfortunately, the race didn’t end up selling many cars for BMW, but as
reported, the “Procar M1s looked fantastic with their huge wings, bulging fenders and fire-spitting exhaust. The racing wasn't bad, either.”
The M1 was discontinued in 1981.
The long-lasting impact of the BMW M1
Though the actual production and sales of the M1 were not stellar, and ended in the blink of an eye, this supercar actually had a huge impact. The M5 and M3 series BMWs that came after were influenced by many mechanical aspects of the M1.
It is the original ancestor of the hugely popular, sporty BMW M-series line.
Because only around 450 M1s were ever built, it is rare to see one. Now, you can expect them to sell for in the mid-six figures.
The M1’s design, which some said looked more like a Lotus Esprit than a BMW, was unusual and eye-catching. It was a wedge shape, with jet-engine inspired louvers on the back. It did not have many of the typical BMW design features like rounded headlights, due to the injection of Italian sports car design from Lamborghini, Marchese and others.
The M1 has become a legend for collectors. As is common in the classics of all types, the beautiful, discontinued and extremely rare become instant collectors’ items!
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