1980 BMW M1 Coupe

Generously Lent by Neal Heffron

·       Dedicated racing car with goals to continue BMW’s Motorsport success

·       BMW’s first M division car and first mid-engine car, homologated for Group 4 and 5 racing

·       Awarded 1st place in the European Sports 1945-1980 Class at the 2022 Audrain Concours          

The BMW M1 was the first car completely developed by BMW M after its founding in 1972. As BMW became more successful in racing, BMW M decided they needed a dedicated racing car to allow the company to compete at the highest level. This was the first mid-engined BMW to be produced.   The iconic front-end, gullwing doors, and futuristic styling would also inspire the i8, another flagship BMW unveiled in 2013.  While the car didn’t have the success BMW had hoped for on the racetrack, the timeless design and low production has made M1 a very desirable collectible car.

In the early 70’s BMW began to see success with the 3.0 CSL, which they continued to modify to remain competitive. To compete in Group 5 (and consistently take down Porsche) BMW needed a dedicated mid-engine platform. The M1 was the brainchild of Jochen Neerpasch, famed racing driver and head of BMW’s motorsport division at the time. Starting from scratch, BMW chose Giorgetto Giugiaro to design the M1, and the company entered an agreement with Lamborghini to build the car. From this point, nearly every aspect of the car became complicated: Lamborghini fell into financial turmoil, and Group 5 rules had changed, meaning the M1 was no longer eligible for the series. However, BMW pushed on.

After Lamborghini stepped away from the project, BMW took full control, until a group of ex-Lamborghini employees offered to finish the project under their new company of Italengineering. The tubular steel space-frame chassis was a very strong and lightweight foundation of the car, with the body made in fiberglass. The final assembly of the cars were completed by BMW in Munich. While the sleek mid-engine design was new for BMW, the car incorporated key design elements such as the taillights and front kidney grilles. The M1 is also the only BMW with two roundel logos on the rear of the car, so other drivers could never mistake the car for something else.

The now legendary M88 inline-six engine was the work of BMW engineer Paul Rosche. The 3.5-liter engine utilized individual throttle bodies and two overhead camshafts to produce 273 horsepower. Just 453 production cars were built over the three-year span, with 53 of those cars produced solely for motorsport. While the M1 didn’t achieve the racing success that BMW hoped for, it launched the M division for BMW, and helped grow the tremendous popularity of M cars that continue today.

Specifications

Engine: 3.5 liter inline 6-cylinder, 4 valves per cylinder, modified version of the M88 from the 3.0 CSL

Transmission: 5-speed manual

Horsepower: 277 @ 6500 rpm

Torque: 243 ft./lbs. @ 5000 rpm

0-60 MPH: 5.9 sec