Racing car for the road - BMW M1 in (historic) test

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Racing car for the road - BMW M1 in (historic) test

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Created on August 7, 1980

Text:

"AR"-Test-Team, translated by DeepL

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Italdesign

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BMW AG

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Archiv

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BMW M1 (1980) - the body was made of plastic

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BMW M1 (1979) - Test drive with the production version

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BMW M1 (1980) - Steering wheel and dashboard

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BMW M1 (1980) - Driver and passenger seat

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BMW M1 (1979) - production version from the front

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BMW M1 (1979) - Rear - functional requirements were the main focus of the design

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BMW M1 (1979) - Test drive in the production version

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BMW M1 (1979) - Engine seen from the front

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BMW M1 (1979) - the six-cylinder, seen from the side

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BMW M1 (1979) - the six-cylinder, seen from behind

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BMW M1 (1979) - the six-cylinder with 277 hp and four valves per cylinder

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BMW M1 (1979) - Series version now in production, 277 hp - Geneva Motor Show 1979

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BMW M1 (1979) - the car looks fast even when stationary

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BMW M 635 CSI (1985) - the same engine, but very different vehicles - on the left the BMW M1

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BMW M5 E34 (1988) - together with the M forefather, the BMW M1

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BMW M1 (1979) - Procar racing version Group 4 at the presentation

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BMW M1 Procar (1979) - Regazzoni on the Österreichring in Zeltweg

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BMW M1 (1979) - ProCar Championship - Regazzoni ahead of Lauda and Andretti at Zolder

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Summary

The BMW M1 marked the Bavarian Motor Works' debut in the super sports car segment. The detailed test from 1980 shows that even a 100,000 franc car does not only have positive aspects.

This article contains the following chapters

Pride of the "BMW Motorsport GmbH"
Like twelve-cylinder music
Amazingly smooth
Racing car on the road
Good comfort
BMW M1 - Assessment
Test results, maintenance and technical data

Estimated reading time: 13min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The signs have changed. Manufacturers who want to establish themselves in such a high-caliber and noble car category as the Ferrari BB, the Lamborghini Countach, the Maserati Bora and the Aston Martin V8 have a far more thorny path ahead of them than just a few years ago. Whereas back then it was easier to sell expensive automotive delicacies of this kind, today the circle of potential buyers has shrunk quite noticeably, unsettled by environmental changes, annoyed by speed limits and alarmed by higher fuel prices. Of course, those responsible at Bayerische Motoren Werke AG also knew this when they realized their sensational "M1" project, a two-seater high-performance sports car that is far more unusual, far more powerful and also far more expensive than anything the blue and white brand from Munich has produced to date. The clever Bavarians therefore launched the so-called Procar series as an effective advertising aid, a self-contained, extremely spectacular racing championship in which Formula 1 stars and other well-known cracks compete fiercely for points and prize money in identical BMW M1 cars, usually as a supporting event for Grand Prix events with a large number of spectators.

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