Finish your week with a look at this immaculate 1981 BMW M1, now on the block at RM Sotheby’s. Expected to command a price between 400,000-500,000 euros (around $540,000), this car comes with a backstory as compelling as its design. Initially envisioned as BMW’s answer to the formidable Porsche 935 on the racetrack, the M1’s journey began with an alliance with Lamborghini, which was eventually abandoned after only seven prototypes were created.
Taking the reins back, BMW went on to produce 460 units from 1978 until 1981. This particular example was finished in October 1980 and originally delivered to BMW France in Blau over a Schwarz interior. It now boasts a Brilliant Red (Brillantrot) exterior and a black (Schwarz) interior. Having journeyed from the U.S. to Singapore and back to Europe, it maintains its original engine, although its current mileage is unverifiable due to a non-functional speedometer.
We’ll remind you the first dedicated M model had a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated engine dialed to 277 horsepower and 330 Newton-meters (243 pound-feet) of torque transferred to the rear axle via a five-speed manual gearbox. The inline-six was powerful enough to allow the M1 hit a top speed of 265 km/h (165 mph), thus making it one of the fastest cars at the time. Built by hand, the homologation special had a dry weight of only 1,300 kilograms (2,866 pounds) and measured just 1,14 meters tall at its highest point. That M88 engine went on to power the M635i as well as the original M5 in the 1980s.
While the BMW M1 didn’t actually make any money itself and was a financial disaster, it did create a legendary brand. For BMW aficionados, this auction in Munich, the heartland of BMW, presents a rare opportunity to own a piece of the marque’s illustrious design and performance heritage, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.
