It might be the first BMW M production car in history, but the M1 was and is an outlier for the brand. In fact, you could argue it was supposed to be as much Lamborghini as BMW.
From its founding in 1972 (happy 50th by the way), the mission of BMW Motorsport GmbH was to win races. The M1 was supposed to establish BMW M as a dominant force in a new Group 5 World Championship of makes, hitting the track in 1977. Unlike previous M racers like the iconic 3.0 CSL, it was to be a bespoke machine: racecar first and production-homologation model second.
Timing was tight, so the plan was to outsource some of the project: Italdesign legend Giorgetto Giugiaro drew it and Lamborghini was supposed to build the 400 road cars required for homologation.
Unfortunately, the M1 project coincided with one of Lamborghini’s financial meltdowns and production was delayed. BMW M had to go ahead and create another Group 5 machine to fill the gap, based on the 320i.
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BMW M cancelled the Lamborghini contract in 1978, but wasn’t giving up on the M1. There was a new plan: the glass fibre body was made by Italiana Resina, the chassis was constructed by Marchesi and the basic structure, sans engine, was assembled by Ital Design (all in Italy). The cars were then transferred to (sometime BMW) coachbuilder Bauer in Germany, where they were hand-built and united with M88/1 3.5-litre six-cylinder engines, delivered from BMW in Munich.
Brilliant, all sorted. Except that by the time BMW was ready to go racing with the M1, Group 5 as it had stood had pretty much run its course. The M1 qualified for Group 4 instead, but was far from successful.
Emergency measures by BMW M to establish some credibility for the car included the Procar one-make series in 1979, which supported Formula 1 and pitched the top five-qualifying F1 drivers against privateers. The M1 also provided the base for the first-ever BMW Art Car, hand-painted by Andy Warhol.
The M1 now has cult status of course, as the first BMW M production car and still its only mid-engined model. Only 453 were made before production was halted in December 1980 – 400 road cars and 53 for racing. BMW M rapidly shifted its attention back to fast sedans and coupes (and now SUVs). Coolest failure ever, right?
