The BMW M1 Is A 70s Supercar Hero We've All Got Time For

Earlier this week we headed to Scotland to drive BMW’s incredible new i8 (video review below). It’s probably the closest thing to a supercar BMW has made since its mid-engined hero of the late 70s, the M1.

Conceived as a homologation special to enable BMW to go sports car racing, the M1 was originally supposed to be produced in collaboration with Lamborghini, but the Italian firm’s shoddy financial position meant that BMW was forced to go it alone. And what they produced is nothing short of stunning.

The striking Giugiaro-penned coupe body has a mid-mounted 269bhp 3.5-litre straight-six powering the rear wheels. It’ll do 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds, and tops out at 162mph. It was the first ever BMW M car, and its stunning straight-six with individual throttle bodies ended up being slotted into the E12 M535i, the predecessor of the first M5.

The motorsport plans never really came off for the M1; by the time it was released, the FIA changed all the regulations for sports car racing categories, rendering the car obsolete. It did get its moment in the sun on track - albeit briefly - with the one-make ‘M1 Procar’ series created especially for the car. The championship ran in 1979 and 1980, before BMW lost interest and cancelled it to focus on Formula 1.

When production ended in 1981, just 453 M1s had been built. The rarity of these cars, plus the fact that BMW hasn’t made anything like it since, means that M1s are incredibly sought after. This example, which was imported to the UK from Switzerland in 2011, is up for sale at Munich Legends for a cool £300,000. It has barely been used, with just 3125 miles on the clock. We think it’s worth every penny. Then again, that amount does get you three i8s…