No one should ever underestimate the original M1 built between 1978 and 1981. The M1 was the first and only mid-engined car that BMW ever mass-produced. Even taking into account that only 456 production M1s were ever built (making it one of the company’s rarest models) this hand-built coupé was the very first M-badged vehicle to be created by BMW Motorsport. Its story is a fascinating one and offers much insight into the BMW brand.
The plan back then was to produce a BMW homologation special that would enter sports car racing and beat the Porsche 911. The resulting plan was not a perfect one. You see the requirement for entering Group 4 and 5 was that the manufacturer produce at least 400 cars over a two year period. Porsche had been merrily churning out 911 Turbos since 1974 but BMW had yet to get its model off the ground. BMW decided to outsource in order to save time and brought in the services of Lamborghini.
Lamborghini was supposed to work out the details of the car's chassis, assemble prototypes and manufacture the vehicles, but the Italian marque’s financial position meant that BMW had to reassume control. Meanwhile, delays in production, ensuing customer reticence, the burden of not producing enough cars to qualify for entry and the fact that the FIA then went and changed the homologation laws meant that BMW had to cool its plans.
The solution was brilliantly self-centred. BMW set up its own series. It was a one-make challenge, known as the ProCar Championship, using racing-modified M1s, which served as a support series for Formula One pitting many of the then current F1 drivers against each other in identical cars. The result was that (finally, even if it was two years late) BMW built enough M1s to enter the Group 4 classification in the ‘World Championship for Makes’ and the manufacturer went on to take class wins at Le Mans between 1981 and 1985. Most unusually of all, and in perfect Bespoke-fashion, a unique Andy Warhol-painted M1 took sixth overall in 1979.
The M1 was an inspired piece of engineering brilliance. Here was a Giorgetto Giugiaro designed sportscar whose engine never got hot, didn’t drink oil, was easy to drive and pretty much felt like an every day run-around. For the first time rational had found a way to beat emotional; I mean even the rear lights were poached from the 6-series. Remember this was many, many years before Honda brought out the seminal NSX. The M1 was pure BMW: brilliant, civilised, supple, smooth and fast. So what is going on with the homage on these pages and why did BMW reveal this retro-prototype now?
It is quite simple really. The Audi R8. Rivalry between the German brands is well known and the fact that Audi has successfully ventured into the mid-engined sportscar territory has significant consequences. Porsche obviously continues to go from strength to strength with its 911 and even Mercedes-Benz is preparing its own mid-engined sportscar due to be named the SLS. So given this background it is only inevitable BMW draws on it fine heritage and brings the world its own particular challenger.
One of the BMW Group Board Member’s, Dr Klaus Draeger, expressed the M1 Homage’s raison d'être succinctly when he said, "For BMW, heritage is always also a living heritage. Drawing inspiration from your own past and thereby reinventing yourself - that is exactly what the BMW M1 Homage demonstrates in impressive style."
BMW quietly introduced their new M1 model at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, on the banks of Lake Como, in perfect time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original everyday sportscar. This is not some rudimentary design exercise even if there is no interior yet, as everything you see on the car is perfectly feasible.
The M1 Homage may seem retro with little reminders of the original like the two BMW signs on the rear decklid, the louvers in the bonnet and bootlid, the slotted wheels and of course the wedge like appearance. But in fact this car is decidedly modern with detailing such as the rear-diffuser, the miniscule door mirrors and the absence of the visible door handles along with an extra-wide body. Probably the most surprising new detail is the grill which is astutely integrated and could very well find its way into production at some point.
Of course no new BMW would be complete without the Chris Bangle effect, a masterful fusion of convex and concave surfacing. "For a company as for a product, it is important to be aware of one's roots. In the spirit of Giugiaro and Bracq, the BMW M1 Homage unites the BMW values of design and technology in a highly emotional and exciting interpretation," explains Bangle, the Director of Design at BMW Group.
So what about the heart of this beast? No one yet knows. The engine bay can apparently hold anything from a V12 to a four cylinder so BMW can definitely keep everyone guessing between now and its launch date. And that could be anywhere between three and five years.
Whatever happens is hearsay at this point. But what is most crucial is that this car links BMW’s past and future into a winning guise of a contemporary design so sinister and evil looking it that it taps straight into the desires every big boy has harboured since adolescence. The company bigwigs may call the M1 Homage ‘a pure study created to honour BMW’s past’ but we at Bespoke believe that the Bavarian carmaker could do with a halo car that raises the epithet of the ultimate driving machine to a whole new level.
