For many Bimmer fans, the BMW M1 is sort of unobtanium. It was a rare car even in its own day and, being forty years old, even rarer today. Even someone like myself, who’s privileged enough to have access to a lot of BMWs that most enthusiasts don’t get, the M1 is nearly impossible to get close to. In fact, I’ve only seen one running in person once, at the Greenwich Concourse a couple of years back. So this new video from EAG is a real treat, as you not only get a close look inside of it but also get to go along for the ride.
In this new video, EAG’s owner Eric Keller takes a close look at their own BMW M1, after he “drives it like it’s stolen”. Which brings me to another point. Every time we all see the BMW M1 in videos, it’s on Top Gear or Carfection or something where a larger parent company paid insurance to make sure the car is taken care of in the event of an incident and the driver was being cautious with someone else’s high-dollar collector’s car. However, this video shows Keller driving essentially his own car, so he can “drive it like it’s stolen” and he does and it’s a glorious machine.
The video starts off with him revving it out on a narrow road, with the 3.5 liter Paul Rosche-designed inline-six screaming its head off. What an engine. It sounds like a nitroglycerin-powered chainsaw and no twin-turbocharged engine from any modern BMW can come close to matching it.
After he thrashes it, Keller brings it back to the shop to walk you through it, show off some of its more unique features (like its ability to be refueled from both sides at the same time) and explains a bit about its history. The BMW M1 is easily one of the most iconic and special cars in the brand’s history, potentially the very most iconic. Sadly, due to its rarity, very few enthusiasts get to see much of it. This video, however, helps with that.
[Images: BMW Group Classic]
