When people talk about supercars nowadays, the usual brands included in the conversations are Buggati, Ferrari, Hennesey and Aston Martin. BMW is rarely part of the discussions anymore. Not many people remember that back in the late 70’s to early 80’s, the brand was winning the races with the BMW M1 Supercar.
BMW M1 is a sports racing car produced by the German car manufacturer back in 1978. It is the first mid-engine car made by BMW. The car was designed by the famous Italian automobile designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro. At first, Lamborghini did the engineering and production of M1, but it didn’t work out. BMW continued to work on the car and was able to produce more than 400 M1s between 1978 and 1981. Here are the specs of BMW M1:
| Body Style | 2-door coupe |
| Layout | Mid-engine, 2WD |
| Engine | 3,453cc 3.6L Dual Overhead Camshaft 6-cylinder |
| Transmission | 5-speed Manual |
| Weight | 1,300 kgs |
| Top Speed | 162 mph |
| Maximum Power | 277hp or 203.73 kW |
| Dimensions (l x w x h) in inches | 171.7 x 71.8 x 44.9 |
If you want to see how the BMW M1 looks on the road, check-out this Top Gear review video that aired on BBC. The video tells how M1 struggled in the beginning but went to become one of the more successful supercars. This video will also give you an idea of BMW M1’s performance 25 years after it was manufactured.
Out of the 400+ M1s manufactured by BMW, 20 were produced for the BMW M1 Procar Championship. It’s a one-make sports car racing championship created by Jochen Neerpasch, the BMW head back then. The race aimed to help the company enter the World Championship for Makes. The Procar Championship hosted some of the best drivers in the world, who raced using the modified BMW M1s. Procar lasted for 2 years until BMW met the requirements to enter the group 4 of the world championship.
Today, the BMW M1 is one of the rarest car models in the world. However, the company has since made a new model out of the old M1, which is the BMW i8. Some of its features can also be seen in other BMW models like M635Csi and the 1st generation of M5.
Back in 2008, BMW commemorated the 30th anniversary of the M1 model by unveiling Homage concept vehicle. It has the same mid-engine layout as the original M1. However, BMW did not produce actual cars out of the Homage Concept.
Nowadays, the BMW M1 is an ultimate collector’s item. If you want to purchase this rare supercar, there are few on sale for half a million dollars in the US. Sure it’s triple the price of a more updated BMW i8, but the M1’s history and rarity are definitely worth the dollars you’re paying. Plus, you get to have more swag when you open that garage door.
If your sights are set on the BMW i8, the M635Csi, or even the M5, call us on 1300 889 6699 to arrange car finance, or simply apply online to get things started today.
