BMW M1 Series: The Blot on History
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.
There were rules for this racing series which BMW needed to fulfil in order to produce the vehicles. The rules also stated that 400 cars had to be created for road drivability, thus the BMW M1. Unfortunately, the BMW M1 super car experienced some hassles in the development. The tale from this escapade is about what one should not do to make 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 at the time began to see struggles in their financial sector. This meant the BMW M1 product was delayed. It was then determined that the production would have to move to Baur Germany to the BMW motorsport department. The automobile was not ready for launch until 1978. This was two years after the concept was given to Group 5. The racing rules changed during this time, which meant the M1 was no longer under the correct ruling.
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.
The M1 BMW was a supercar with great performance, making it a legend not only in speed but quality and lower running costs. The twin kidney shaped front grille with the pop up headlamps and black slats on the rear windshield only added to the design.
Despite the unsuccessful nature of the M1 BMW the engine was reused in the M5 series where it was more of an achievement. It was also used in an M1 Homage concept automobile.
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