BMW M1: this is the story of the first official member of the BMW M sports division

The BMW M1 began to take shape in 1972 under the project called BMW Turbo. In those years, the market featured models as impressive as the Ferrari 308 GTB, the Porsche 911 and the Lamborghini Miura. The Bavarian brand knew it had to launch a model capable of capturing everyone’s attention. At that time, BMW partnered with Lamborghini with the aim of building a new sports car that would revolutionise the landscape. BMW would supply the engine and Lamborghini everything else.

Like other highly significant models in the Bavarian house’s history, the BMW M1 was a homologation model. The brand had to build at least 200 units a year so that the future BMW M1 could compete. After a rough patch at Lamborghini, in 1976 BMW broke its agreement with the Italian company and decided to produce the entire sports car itself, the car that would revolutionise automotive history.

BMW M1, the first car to carry the coveted M of BMW Motorsport

The BMW M1 features a fibreglass-reinforced plastic body designed by Giugiaro, while the monocoque chassis was developed by T.I.R and the Marchesi chassis. All components were shipped to Germany, where Bauer assembled them. The legendary German sports car used the M49 engine, the same one fitted to the BMW 3.0 CSL. However, it was adapted so it could be integrated into Giugiaro’s bodywork. The new engine block was named M88. This powerplant was also used in the BMW M635i and the BMW M5 e28.

The BMW M model’s legend was powered by the M88 engine, a six-cylinder inline engine with 24 valves and mechanical fuel injection, mounted mid-rear. It delivered 277 CV at 6,500 rpm and a maximum torque of 323 Nm. The sports car featured a limited-slip differential and a five-speed manual gearbox.

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Its dimensions astonished the world: it measured 4.36 metres long with a wheelbase of 1.57 metres. Its weight was 1,297 kg. The whole package could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 260 km/h. It is important to highlight that this Bavarian sports car had two fuel tanks, one on each side. Although the model began development in 1972 under the BMW Turbo concept, the production model did not arrive until the 1978 Paris Motor Show.

Initially, the plan was to build around 800 units, but between 1978 and 1981 only 456 units were produced: 399 for the road, plus the seven prototypes built by Lamborghini. The rest were used for international racing. Its starting price was ten million pesetas.