Here's something you don't see everyday--- M1

[CalCarNut]

While at the dyno shop this past weekend and drooling over the hot rodded M3s, M4s, 5s, etc...I saw this tucked away in the corner-surrounded by a parts shelf etc.

Yep..genuine M1-ProCar edition (1 of only 10 painted in the scheme) and in perfect condition. Any guesses who the prior owner was?

[otay]

Huh, pretty rare I would think. $1M+ maybe? Ask them what's up with the M1!?!

[CalCarNut]

Originally Posted by otay

Huh, pretty rare I would think. $1M+ maybe? Ask them what's up with the M1!?!

One was up for auction last year...got as high as about $400K...didn't sell..so we know they're worth a lot for sure.

[CalCarNut]

Would have thought an M1 would have had more traffic. lol.

Previous owner was said to be Paul Walker...not sure how they acquired this one...but there it is....

[abhibrandy1]

There is one parked in BMW of SF dealership...its really cool!

[MBentz]

Originally Posted by abhibrandy1

There is one parked in BMW of SF dealership...its really cool!

+1. Saw it when I bought my AH3 from them. Gorgeous.

[Vegetable]

With well over 1 million miles of driving under my belt, I have yet to see a M1 in the wild

[the_phew]

Gorgeous car, but the twin roundels on the rear is the tackiest branding I've ever seen, pizza-sized/illuminated 3-pointed star on recent Mercs included.

[CalCarNut]

Originally Posted by Vegetable

With well over 1 million miles of driving under my belt, I have yet to see a M1 in the wild

On the road, you probably won't. With only 493 made total..they're all sitting in garages/museums, etc.

This one is at least accessible to SoCalers if you want to walk up to one first hand. Sounds like there's one in SF too...


They said this was Paul Walkers car ..and if you watch the youtube video of his garage, he has an M1 sitting up on the top row corner of what used to be his car garage...

[CalCarNut]

Originally Posted by the_phew

Gorgeous car, but the twin roundels on the rear is the tackiest branding I've ever seen, pizza-sized/illuminated 3-pointed star on recent Merc included.

Yep..agreed....but hey..it's an M1

[DrivenByE30]

This is at EAS huh?


Apparently EAS has been taking care of this car... You can find other EAS official photos of this M1 if you google it.

Edit= To save you the walk:

[CalCarNut]

Yep, EAS....much better picture

[abhibrandy1]

Just realized, the M1 looks very similar to the Lamborghini Countach! Does anyone else see it?

[CalCarNut]

Originally Posted by abhibrandy1

Just realized, the M1 looks very similar to the Lamborghini Countach! Does anyone else see it?

If memory serves, Lambo was to design/build the M1 for BMW..but BMW changed their mind and pulled it back to inhouse...so you are correct sir!

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by CalCarNut

If memory serves, Lambo was to design/build the M1 for BMW..but BMW changed their mind and pulled it back to inhouse...so you are correct sir!

As the project emerged, the E26 (en*gineering concept 26) would be designed by Giugiaro and his Ital Design staff around the proven CSL racing engine. Lamborghini would build 400 cars, making the design eligible for Group 4 racing. Once homologation was completed, a turbocharged version of the CSL six-cylinder would be fitted to the factory race car, and, went the plan, the winning would commence.

Lamborghini’s financial problems postponed the start of production beyond the original 1977 deadline, so BMW Motorsports hastily created the racing 320i for Group 5 competition. Although the M1 was formally announced soon after (January 1978), Lamborghini’s imminent bankruptcy finally forced BMW to cancel its contract on April 20, 1978. Under a new plan, Marchese would build the car's tube frame, TIR would mold the fiberglass, and then Ital Design would mate the two and install the interior. The cars would then be shipped from Italy to Stuttgart, where Baur, long a builder of BMW production prototypes, would install the BMW hardware. BMW Motorsports would do the final preparation in Munich—in fact, the car would carry a BMW Motorsports manufacturing plate.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...the-m1-feature

[Three Pedal Steve]

Highlands Motoring Festival- The i8 attracted a lot more public interest than the M1 street car.

[bimmertones]

It's a beauty!

[Ric in RVA]

Originally Posted by Three Pedal Steve

Highlands Motoring Festival- The i8 attracted a lot more public interest than the M1 street car.

Attachment 1446998

Fools.

Many years ago... at least 3 decades.

I ended up visiting relatives for a week in California on my own...I think I was 18.

I was in Newport beach CA and there was a showroom that must have had 4 or 5 if I remember correctly. My cousins took me there since I loved cars. Most were procars.

They also took me to Vasek Polak Porsche and we drove her old Celica GT all over Mulholland.

Good times and SoCal still has the amazing cars.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by CalCarNut

Would have thought an M1 would have had more traffic. lol.

Previous owner was said to be Paul Walker...not sure how they acquired this one...but there it is....

That's because an M1 is built and raced and established M gmbh LONG before 99.9% of all the BMW owners were alive today. Heck when BMW was racing M1s I was but a wee little boy, not knowing what a paradigm shift a homologated, built ONLY for racing street car from BMW is. My first "car" love came during BMW's 2nd car built specifically for homologated racing, the E30 M3.

I did see a BMW M1 in person, in its secluded, 3nd natural habitat once. Driving up and down PCH on a random sunny Saturday afternoon I saw a white one cruising about. My automotive sighting of a life-time. The other time I saw an M1 in person was at Auto Club Speedway during OktoberFest. BMW had brought out a race trim long tail McLaren F1, the Warsteiner E30 M3, and a ProCar M1 from the museum and Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand were giving rides in them.

Sigh.

Like I said, 99.9% of people buying BMWs today don't know what great history BMW had in racing and building race cars. Those that do, it's but a distant memory.

By the way, the M1 is "because Racecar" before because racecar. It exists because racecar. There's nothing more PURE than one's reason for being on this planet. Except old school, pre-war Bugattis and some Auto Unions. Those existed because racecar LONG before anything else existed because racecar.

[stashtrey]

Need more threads like this on this site.