CarBrandLogos archive · BMW · 1978

BMWM1

The car BMW built to go racing, finished by a rulebook that changed underneath it.

Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in BMW history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the BMW M1, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Nelson Piquet im BMW M1, Nürburgring Südkehre

Origins

BMW Motorsport had been running touring cars for six years when it decided it needed a mid-engined machine to take on Porsche in Group 5. The rules required road cars to homologate it, so a road car had to exist first.

Nelson Piquet im BMW M1, Nürburgring Südkehre · Lothar Spurzem · CC BY-SA 2.0 de

Design and engineering

The engineering was BMW's own: a tubular spaceframe, a fibreglass body drawn by Giorgetto Giugiaro on lines Paul Bracq had sketched for the 1972 Turbo show car, and the M88 — a 3.5-litre straight-six with four valves per cylinder and a twin-cam head, mounted longitudinally behind the driver and making around 277 hp in road form.

BMW Engine M88 from a M1 · Buschtrommler · CC BY-SA 3.0

In production

Building it was the problem. Lamborghini was contracted to develop the chassis and assemble the cars, then ran out of money before delivering; the work was scattered across Italy and Germany, with Marchesi welding frames, TIR trimming bodies and Baur doing final assembly. By the time 453 had been built, between 1978 and 1981, Group 5 had moved on and the car had missed its purpose entirely.

BMW M1 1981 · order_242 from Chile · CC BY-SA 2.0

Legacy

BMW's answer was to invent a series for it. The Procar Championship ran identical M1s as a support race at European Grands Prix in 1979 and 1980, with the fastest Formula 1 drivers of the weekend obliged to take part — Niki Lauda won the first title, Nelson Piquet the second.

Chapter 5

The M1 remains the only mid-engined road car BMW has built, and the M88 engine went on to power the first M5 and the M635CSi.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1978–1981

Units built

453

Engine

3.5&nbsp

Body

2-door coupé

Technical specification

The M1, in detail.

Production: 1978–1981; 453 produced
Class: Sports car (S)
Body style: 2-door coupé
Layout: Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Engine: 3.5 L M88 I6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Designer: Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign
Assembly: Italy: Turin (initial assembly) ; Germany: Munich (final assembly and inspection)
Manufacturer: Karosserie Baur, BMW M GmbH