Hassle in a Fancy Wrapper: The BMW M1
BMW, in the 1970's wanted to create a super car that would be on a parallel with Ferrari and Porsche. To do this they needed to design and construct a vehicle which would fit in the Group 5 race series.
The regulatory standards told BMW that they would have to make 400 of their BMW supercar to be road worthy. This supercar was named the BMW M1. Unfortunately, the M1 turned into a historical story of how not to build a supercar due to the trouble the company had in trying to make it road worthy.
BMW approached Lamborghini to help in the design of the M1. They asked the company to help build the racer. The product of this union was a lustrous, low riding, mid engine vehicle. The bodywork was done by Ital Design. The engine was a 3.5 litre creation with turbocharger allowing for 850 horse power. The engine fit the Group 5 racing specifications.
Lamborghini was experiencing some financial setbacks during this time. They proved detrimental to the project since there were several delays and then the project was moved to Baur Germany. Still BMW motorsport department plodded on releasing the M1 in 1978, two years later than the project was supposed to be. This provided another problem because the Group 5 racing rules were modified and the M1 didn't fit in with the new standards.
All of the work that was required for the M1 was not wasted because BMW decided to form a race series in which the M1 super car could race. They called it the Procar BMW M1 Championship. It was a great idea since it was a support race for the Formula 1 Championships of the World race. The F1 stars like Ayrton Senna, Nikki Lauda, and Nelson Piquet were pitted against each other in the same vehicle.
The race was a success, but the BMW M1 never reached the hopes of its designers. The trim allowed for 277 horsepower, and 0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds. The top speed was 162 miles per hour. 456 models of the M1 were built, and today collectors of vehicles still seek this machine.
The M1 BMW was a supercar with great performance, making it a legend not only in speed but quality and lower running costs. The twin kidney shaped front grille with the pop up headlamps and black slats on the rear windshield only added to the design.
Whilst commercially the BMW M1 was never really a success its engine was subsequently used in the first BMW M5, and its design inspired BMW's recent M1 Homage concept car. - 21392
The regulatory standards told BMW that they would have to make 400 of their BMW supercar to be road worthy. This supercar was named the BMW M1. Unfortunately, the M1 turned into a historical story of how not to build a supercar due to the trouble the company had in trying to make it road worthy.
BMW approached Lamborghini to help in the design of the M1. They asked the company to help build the racer. The product of this union was a lustrous, low riding, mid engine vehicle. The bodywork was done by Ital Design. The engine was a 3.5 litre creation with turbocharger allowing for 850 horse power. The engine fit the Group 5 racing specifications.
Lamborghini was experiencing some financial setbacks during this time. They proved detrimental to the project since there were several delays and then the project was moved to Baur Germany. Still BMW motorsport department plodded on releasing the M1 in 1978, two years later than the project was supposed to be. This provided another problem because the Group 5 racing rules were modified and the M1 didn't fit in with the new standards.
All of the work that was required for the M1 was not wasted because BMW decided to form a race series in which the M1 super car could race. They called it the Procar BMW M1 Championship. It was a great idea since it was a support race for the Formula 1 Championships of the World race. The F1 stars like Ayrton Senna, Nikki Lauda, and Nelson Piquet were pitted against each other in the same vehicle.
The race was a success, but the BMW M1 never reached the hopes of its designers. The trim allowed for 277 horsepower, and 0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds. The top speed was 162 miles per hour. 456 models of the M1 were built, and today collectors of vehicles still seek this machine.
The M1 BMW was a supercar with great performance, making it a legend not only in speed but quality and lower running costs. The twin kidney shaped front grille with the pop up headlamps and black slats on the rear windshield only added to the design.
Whilst commercially the BMW M1 was never really a success its engine was subsequently used in the first BMW M5, and its design inspired BMW's recent M1 Homage concept car. - 21392
About the Author:
Whilst owning a BMW M1 is out of the reach of most drivers the new BMW M3 is a chance to experience the performance and handling of a racing sports car. Meanwhile if your budget won't stretch to a new BMW, the Caterham 7 is a great little racing car for the road.
posted by X - Men @ 9:40 AM
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