After selling a Polaris Silver BMW M1 for $742,000 at its Florida auction at the beginning of the month, RM Sotheby’s has another E26 ready to change hands. This time around, the mid-engine supercar is painted in Brilliant Red, but this is not the original color. It left the factory on October 9, 1980, with a blue exterior before being resprayed at some point in its life.
The wedge-shaped machine retains its black interior but the seats have been reupholsted in all-leather. According to the auction house, the rare BMW flagship was shipped to a dealer in France on October 13, 1980. Eventually, it was subsequently sold to someone from the United States. RM Sotheby’s presumes that’s when the car got a different odometer in miles instead of kilometers.
Speaking of the dials, the one and only BMW supercar has a faulty speedometer. In addition, the auction house was unable to determine the M1’s real mileage when the vehicle was cataloged to prepare it for the auction. The mighty M returned to Europe before being exported to Singapore in March 2011. It’s now back in Europe for the auction.
Should deep-pocketed enthusiasts be interested in buying the most coveted model with the roundel, it will be available without reserve at the Monaco sale on May 10-11. RM Sotheby’s estimates it’ll go for anywhere between €400,000 to €500,000. That works out to $436,000 to $545,000 at current exchange rates.
BMW has refrained from making another supercar since the last M1 rolled off the assembly line in 1981. The last time it came close to having a dedicated sports car was in 2020 when the I16 mid-engined model was abandoned. There was also an M1 Hommage concept at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este back in 2008 but that didn’t get the green light either.
Note: The attached images show a different red BMW M1. To see the real car heading to auction, access the link below.
Source: RM Sotheby’s
