The M1 is unique model in the BMW stable for it remains the company's one and only mid-engined supercar. The M1 was born out of a desire to replace the increasingly uncompetitive BMW CSL in the Group 5 Silhouette series which was dominated by the Porsche 935.
In 1976 BMW commissioned Lamborghini to design, develop, and produce what was to become the M1. Four-hundred examples were to be built over a two year period, ensuring that a sufficient quantity of vehicles came off the production line for homologation. Giorgetto Guigiaro's Ital Design house was contracted to shape the body. Guigiaro's design drew inspiration from the E25 BMW Turbo prototype created to commemorate the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
However, by April 1978 Lamborghini's involvement in the project had to come to an end. Lamborghini's already precarious financial position was worsened by the withdrawal of Government funding, which coupled with continuing delays and only seven prototypes to show after two years of development forced BMW to move the project back to Baur, Stuttgart.
The M1 was eventually launched to an expectant public late in 1978. The car was powered by a twin-cam M88/1 3.5 litre six cylinder engine mustering 277 bhp and a top speed of 162 mph. However, the output of the road car paled against examples competing in the Group 5 series, which offered up to 850 bhp.
The M1 unfortunately fell foul of revised Group 5 regulations ensuring that it never met with a great deal of racing success. The car was handbuilt by BMW's Motorsport division between 1978 and 1981. During it's production run 456 M1s were completed.
The M1 ushered in a legacy of impeccable handling, class-leading build quality, performance vehicles from BMW's Motorsport division. Whilst never sold in large volume or a great success on the track, the M1 did set the standard for future bearers of the 'M' designation. The M88 unit that powered the M1 appeared in various guises in the BMW E24 M6/M635CSi, the BMW E28 M5, and the South African version of the BMW 745i.