The
BMW M1 was a
sports carThe term sports car has been defined as "an open, low-built, fast motor car." The term describes a class of automobile with two seats, two doors, precise handling, brisk acceleration, and sharp braking — trading practical considerations such as passenger space, comfort, and cargo capacity...
that was produced by
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
automaker
BMW, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...
from 1978 to 1981.
In the late 1970s,
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
manufacturer
LamborghiniAutomobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian automaker based in the small township of Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company was founded in 1963 by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini...
entered into an agreement with
BMW, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...
to build a production racing car in sufficient quantity for
homologationHomologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
. The result was sold to the public, from 1978 to 1981, as the BMW M1. It was the only
mid-enginedA mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine between the rear and front axles. Another term for this is mid-ship.-Benefits:The mid-engine layout is typically chosen for its relatively favorable weight distribution...
BMW to be mass produced. It employed a twin-cam
M88/1The BMW M88/3 is an in line 6 cylinder piston engine. It was based on the M88/1 that was used in the BMW M1's street version, with double overhead cam and four valves per cylinder. The M88/1 was in turn based on the M49 engine which was used in the BMW 3.0CSi...
3.5 L 6-cylinder gasoline engine with
KugelfischerKugelfischer is the name for a mechanical fuel injection pump. It was produced by FAG Kugelfischer and later by Robert Bosch Corp....
mechanical
fuel injectionFuel injection is a system for mixing fuel with air in an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in gasoline automotive engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
.
The
BMW M1 was a
sports carThe term sports car has been defined as "an open, low-built, fast motor car." The term describes a class of automobile with two seats, two doors, precise handling, brisk acceleration, and sharp braking — trading practical considerations such as passenger space, comfort, and cargo capacity...
that was produced by
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
automaker
BMW, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...
from 1978 to 1981.
In the late 1970s,
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
manufacturer
LamborghiniAutomobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian automaker based in the small township of Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company was founded in 1963 by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini...
entered into an agreement with
BMW, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...
to build a production racing car in sufficient quantity for
homologationHomologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
. The result was sold to the public, from 1978 to 1981, as the BMW M1. It was the only
mid-enginedA mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine between the rear and front axles. Another term for this is mid-ship.-Benefits:The mid-engine layout is typically chosen for its relatively favorable weight distribution...
BMW to be mass produced. It employed a twin-cam
M88/1The BMW M88/3 is an in line 6 cylinder piston engine. It was based on the M88/1 that was used in the BMW M1's street version, with double overhead cam and four valves per cylinder. The M88/1 was in turn based on the M49 engine which was used in the BMW 3.0CSi...
3.5 L 6-cylinder gasoline engine with
KugelfischerKugelfischer is the name for a mechanical fuel injection pump. It was produced by FAG Kugelfischer and later by Robert Bosch Corp....
mechanical
fuel injectionFuel injection is a system for mixing fuel with air in an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in gasoline automotive engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
. 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/M635CSiThe BMW M6 is a high-performance version of the 6-Series automobile, designed by the motorsport division of the German manufacturer.-E24 M635CSi/"M6":...
and
E28 BMW M5The first BMW M5, based on the E28 5 Series, made its debut at Amsterdam Motor Show in February 1985. It was the product of demand for an automobile with the carrying capacity of a saloon , but the overall performance of a sports car. It utilized the 535i chassis and an evolution of the engine from...
. The engine had six separate
throttleA throttle is the mechanism by which the flow of a fluid is managed by constriction or obstruction. An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases , but usually decreased. The term throttle has come to refer, informally and incorrectly, to any mechanism by which...
butterflies, four valves per cylinder and produced in the street version, giving a top speed of . Turbocharged racing versions were capable of producing around .
The M1 coupe was hand-built between 1978 and 1981 under the
MotorsportBMW Motorsport is the division of BMW responsible for motorsport-related activities, including works-run competition programmes in touring car racing, sportscar racing and Formula One.-See also:* BMW M* BMW in motorsport* BMW Sauber* Schnitzer Motorsport...
division of BMW as a
homologationHomologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
special for
sports carThe term sports car has been defined as "an open, low-built, fast motor car." The term describes a class of automobile with two seats, two doors, precise handling, brisk acceleration, and sharp braking — trading practical considerations such as passenger space, comfort, and cargo capacity...
racing. The body was designed by Giugiaro, taking inspiration from the 1972
BMW TurboThe E25 BMW Turbo prototype was built as a celebration for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.For this occasion, renowned designer Paul Bracq created an innovative design for a BMW automobile, the BMW Turbo. Only two were ever built. Today, it is one of the rarest BMWs, with its elegant design,...
show car. Originally, BMW commissioned
LamborghiniAutomobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian automaker based in the small township of Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company was founded in 1963 by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio 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. Only 456 production M1s were built, making it one of BMW's rarest models. The spirit of the M1 lived on in the first-generation M5, as both models shared the same (though slightly modified) engines.
The M1 had various successes in motorsports, including winning the
Group BThe Group B referred to a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rally racing regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents,...
championship in 1984. In 2004,
Sports Car InternationalSports Car International is an automobile magazine in the United States focused on sports cars. It is unabashedly enthusiast-oriented, assuming a good knowledge of sports cars, racing, and automotive history...
named the car number ten on the list of
Top Sports Cars of the 1970s.
Procar
In 1979 the head BMW Motorsport,
Jochen NeerpaschJochen Neerpasch is a former German racecar driver and motorsports manager.His racing career began in the 1960s, first on Borgward touring car, then with the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans as a first major event...
, devised a
one-makeOne-Design is a racing method where all vehicles or boats have identical or very similar designs or models. It is also known as Spec series. It is heavily used in sailboat racing. All competitors in a race are then judged based on a single start time...
championship using racing modified M1s. The series was created to aid BMW in building enough M1s to enter the
Group 4The Group 4 racing class referred to regulations for cars in sportscar racing, GT racing and rallying, as regulated by the FIA. The Group 4 class was replaced by Group B for the 1983 season.-Production requirements:...
classification in the
World Championship for MakesThe World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
. The new series, known as the
Procar BMW M1 ChampionshipThe BMW M1 Procar Championship, sometimes known simply as Procar, was a one-make auto racing series created by Jochen Neerpasch, head of BMW Motorsport GmbH, the racing division of automobile manufacturer BMW...
, served as a support series for
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
, and included many current Formula One drivers in identical cars.
The series ran for two years, with
Niki LaudaAndreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda is an Austrian aviator, entrepreneur, former Formula One racing driver and three-time F1 World Champion. He has founded and run two airlines and was manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years.-Early years in racing:Born in Vienna, Austria, to a...
winning the 1979 season, and
Nelson PiquetNelson Piquet Souto Maior , known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver who was Formula One world champion in , and...
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..
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 BracqPaul Bracq is one of the world's leading automotive designers as well as one of the world's leading automotive artists...
. The
BMW TurboThe E25 BMW Turbo prototype was built as a celebration for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.For this occasion, renowned designer Paul Bracq created an innovative design for a BMW automobile, the BMW Turbo. Only two were ever built. Today, it is one of the rarest BMWs, with its elegant design,...
boasted many technical and advance innovations from BMW. The front of the car differs the most than the other parts of the car. The front sports double head lights and 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 Hommage 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, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...
has not confirmed if these will be released.
External links