The book is almost the opposite of the racing series. It is elegant and white, bound in a solid half-linen cover. The title is embossed and a three-color ribbon is glued into the back cover. Naturally, the colors are red, light blue and dark blue - the colors of BMW's motorsport activities.
The racing series, on the other hand, was spectacularly presented, screamingly colorful and sometimes a bit chaotic, even in its beginnings.
But it was one of the best one-make racing series ever, perhaps even the best ever. The Procar racing series pitted the best Formula 1 drivers and amateurs/professional racing drivers of the late seventies against each other and produced races that left nothing to be desired. The fact that they also took place during Formula 1 weekends only served to attract even more attention. They actually came about almost by chance, as an emergency program so to speak.
From the prehistory to the races
Jochen von Osterroth, the former rally racing editor, was up close and personal at the time and was able to draw on a wealth of experience. And that made him exactly the right person to write this book.
He secured the support of the men behind and around the BMW M1 project and, together with them, covered both the development history of the BMW mid-engine sports coupé and its use in the Procar series.
Beyond the Procar series
Of course, the two seasons in which the Procar M1s provided excitement on the Formula 1 racetracks form the main part of the 276-page book, with almost half of it devoted to the races. But Osterloh goes a little further, also describing the year of IMSA GTO dominance and the M1 cars' entries in Group 5, as well as the use of the M1 as a rally car and the March offshoots (with Chevy engines, among others).
He also talks about the fact that the cars also raced in the DRM, as well as the times when BMW M1 racing cars were raging works of art (Warhol, Stella).
Complete statistics section
And thank goodness there is also a data section that lists all the race results of the Procar races as well as the individual chassis numbers. Here he also learns that exactly 35 Procar vehicles were built.
There were also test vehicles, conversions and Group 5 and reserve chassis and bodies as well as test frames.
Fantastic picture material
The book, which has only been printed 500 times, is written in German, but even if you didn't understand a single word, you would have good reasons to buy this generously designed work - over three hundred color and black-and-white reasons, to be precise, namely the pictures. Printed on high-quality paper, these photos show all facets of the automobile, the races and the drivers. There are many little-known photos among them, pictures from an analog photography era when people still exposed on slide film and made black-and-white prints in the orange-red-lit darkroom.
Thanks to clearly assignable and comparatively extensive captions, the pictures are even more fun. Clearly - at EUR 220, this book, which is not exactly cheap, is just as convincing as a coffee-table book as it is as a textbook.
A few points of criticism should be mentioned here: Long passages written exclusively in capital letters are difficult to read and there is no index.
Not just for M1 and BMW fans
The Procar series was more than just a BMW one-make cup. It was an event. There has never been anything like it since. That's why it should interest almost every Formula 1 and motorsport fan. In retrospect, the BMW M1 was more of a flop because neither the original production figures (initially 2000, later 1000 units) were achieved, nor because it was able to play the role in racing that it should have played with its starting position. Around 400 were built, and every owner should pick up the Procar book to understand an important part of their car's history. And for everyone else: You could hardly wish for a better read in front of the fire during the cold winter months. Thank you Jochen von Osterroth, this book is not only a legacy to the M1, but also to our beloved Rallye Racing magazine.
Bibliographical information
- Title: M1 procar
- Author: Jochen von Osterroth
- Language: German
- Format: Hardcover, slipcase, 240 x 320 mm, half-linen cover, deep embossing, specially made woven label and bookmark (Tricolor), high-quality 170 grammy art paper
- Volume: 276 pages
- ISBN: 978-3945397084
- Price: EUR 220.00 (limited to 500 copies, each numbered by hand)
- Buy/order: Online at Verlag View GmbH, online at amazon.de or in relevant bookstores
