Ultimatecarpage.com update (07-31-08)

[Wouter Melissen]

Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,

Anniversaries are always used by manufacturers to take a trip down memory lane and place a legendary victory or model in the limelight. At BMW Mobile Tradition all eyes on the M1 this year. Originally launched at the 1978 Paris Motorshow, the M1 was intended as a homologation special for a brand new racing car. Mid engined supercars were hardly BMW's expertise so they called in the help of Italian experts like Giugiaro and Lamborghini. While the former penned the M1's exquisite lines, the latter caused major delays and even threatened the future of the project altogether. Due to the production delays the M1 could not be fully homologated for the 1979 season, so pragmatic as ever, BMW created their own series to run the cars in. Dubbed Procar, the races were held before each F1 Grand Prix and provided BMW with plenty of publicity. Eventually the M1 was homologated and the racing version was moderately successful both in Europe and in North America. The M1 was certainly not a financial success for BMW, but the car itself remains as a master piece that has aged remarkably well.
Today we join BMW in celebrating the M1 with an indepth article and a 12-shot gallery. Even though the M1 is well known, we have come across some interesting facts while researching. Did you for example know that BMW originally had a 3-litre V10 engine on drawing boards to power the M1, or that Giugiaro not only designed the exterior, but also helped save the project? All is explained here:

1978 - 1981 BMW E26 M1 - Images, Specifications and Information

Regards,
Wouter Melissen