BMW M1

BMW M1
Overview
Manufacturer	BMW
Production	1978–1981 456 built
Designer	Giorgetto Giugiaro
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door coupé
Layout	Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine	3,453 cc M88/1 DOHC I6[1]
Transmission	5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,600 mm (102.4 in)[1]
Length	4,361 mm (171.7 in)[1]
Width	1,824 mm (71.8 in)[1]
Height	1,140 mm (44.9 in)[1]
Curb weight	1,300 kg (2,866 lb)

The BMW M1 (E26) is a sports car that was produced by German automaker BMW from 1978 to 1981.

In the late 1970s, Italian manufacturer Lamborghini entered into an agreement with BMW to build a production racing car in sufficient quantity for homologation, but conflicts arose that prompted BMW to produce the car themselves.^[2][3] The result was sold to the public, from 1978 to 1981, as the BMW M1. It was the only mid-engined BMW to be mass-produced. It employed a twin-cam M88/1 3.5 L 6-cylinder petrol engine with Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection. A version of this motor was later used in the South African version of the BMW 745i, of which 209 examples were built between 1984 and 1986, as well as the E24 BMW M6/M635CSi and E28 BMW M5. The engine had six separate throttle bodies, four valves per cylinder and produced 277 PS (204 kW; 273 hp) in the street version, giving a top speed of 260 km/h (162 mph). Turbocharged racing versions were capable of producing around 850 hp (634 kW).

Overview

The M1 coupe was hand-built between 1978 and 1981 under the Motorsport division of BMW as a homologation special for sports car racing. The body was designed by Giugiaro, taking inspiration from the 1972 BMW Turbo show car. Originally, BMW commissioned Lamborghini to work out the details of the car's chassis, assemble prototypes and manufacture the vehicles, but Lamborghini's financial position meant that BMW reassumed control over the project in April 1978, after seven prototypes were built. (N.B.: Baur, which was established in 1910, produced, among others, 1682 1600-2 Cabriolets, 200 2002 Cabriolets, 2597 E110 700 Sport Cabriolets and most of the 450 or so M1's for BMW, after Lamborghini could not fulfil its contractual obligations.) Only 456 production M1s were built, making it one of BMW's rarest models. The spirit of the M1 lived on in the M635Csi and the first-generation M5, which use a modified version of the M88/1 engine, the M88/3.^[4]

The M1 had various successes in motorsports. In 2004, Sports Car International named the car number ten on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s.

The M1 is not related to BMW's 1-series compact executive car which started production in MY 2004. Nor is the M1 related to the BMW 1 Series M Coupe which started production in MY 2010.

Procar

In 1979 the head BMW Motorsport, Jochen Neerpasch, devised a one-make championship using racing modified M1s. The series was created to aid BMW in building enough M1s to enter the Group 4 classification in the World Championship for Makes. The new series, known as the Procar BMW M1 Championship, served as a support series for Formula One, and included many current Formula One drivers in identical cars.

The series ran for two years, with Niki Lauda winning the 1979 season, and Nelson Piquet the 1980 season. After BMW met the standards for Group 4, the Procars were used by various teams in the World Championship as well as other national series.

2008 Homage Concept

In April 2008, BMW unveiled the M1 Homage Concept to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the M1. The concept vehicle uses a mid-engine layout and borrows styling cues from both the original M1 and the Turbo show car.^[5]

The BMW Homage concept was released at the event Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d'Este 2008. The design was created by Giorgio Giugiaro who got his idea from the BMW Turbo concept which was designed by Paul Bracq. The BMW Turbo boasted many technical and advance innovations from BMW.^[6] The front of the car differs the most than the other parts of the car. The front sports double head lights are not the pop up light that are on the original M1, but the usual trademark of the kidney grills made it onto the design of the car. The Homage also incorporated the double badge in the back of the car as the original M1. There are no photos of the interior of the car or the car in action. The specifications of the car have not been released to the public. BMW has not confirmed if these will be released, although the upcoming i8 model, which is based on the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics concept, draws influence from the M1 Homage.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BMW M1.

• BMW M1 on BMW TV

v t e « previous — BMW road car timeline, 1950s–1980s — next »
Type	Series	1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s
		0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Microcar							Isetta 250 / 300
Small family car									600			LS/700
Compact exec	3 Series																	1602/2002											E21							E30
Executive	5 Series	340/340-2*												1500,1800,2000											E12									E28							E34
Luxury	7 Series			501/502																E3										E23									E32
Coupé																			1600GT
	6 Series	327*						503						3200 CS			2000C, 2000CS				E9							E24
Roadster	Z Series							507																																Z1
Sports car/GT	M1, 8 Series																										E26														E31
*made in East Germany as EMW