1981 BMW M1 that sat in a garage for 34 years (20 photos)

The first car produced by BMW Motorsport was the mid-engined M1 supercar, which was produced between 1978 and 1982. In total, only 399 road versions of these cars were assembled, which nowadays are incredibly expensive and are mainly in the hands of collectors. However, there is still room for amazing finds; one of these cars was recently discovered in a garage where it had been gathering dust for 34 years.

A classic garage find: a pile of junk and a thick layer of dust

Just recently, the German dealer and specialist in rare BMWs, Mint Classics, informed the general public about the discovery of a luxurious 1981 BMW M1 with only 7,329 kilometers on the clock.

Odometer readings are clearly visible

The design of the model had many similarities with Italian supercars of that time

The car was discovered in Italy, where it had been sitting motionless in an old garage for the last 34 years. In fact, it was only driven for one season, after which, due to unknown circumstances, it was put into long-term storage. The last time the car was started was in 1982, and its elegant alloy wheels are still shod with original tires produced in 1980.

The spectacular supercar was littered with various rubbish and household utensils, and also covered with an impressive layer of dust, under which a red body in excellent condition was hidden.

Just a second: such a car now costs about $1 million!

This BMW M1 is in completely original factory condition and only needs a slight refresh of the equipment, with the replacement of various parts and consumables that could have become unusable during such a long “hibernation”.

The interior of the car is perfectly preserved: cleaning and dry cleaning will return it to its original luster and beauty.

The BMW M1 was originally conceived by the Bavarians as a competitor to Porsche sports cars, not on the highways and autobahns, but in the Group 5 touring car championships. The model, which received the E26 index, became the first brainchild of the BMW Motorsport department, created from scratch.

Laconic design of door cards

The car received a mid-engine layout. Engineers Martin Braungart and Paul Roche initially considered developing a V8 or V12, but ultimately they created a 3.5-liter inline-six engine based on the M49 unit found in the BMW 3.0 CSi coupe. The installation was called M88 and produced a power of 277 hp. With. With it, the car reached a maximum speed of 265 km/h, and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h took 5.6 seconds.

The M88 engine boasts a separate throttle body for each cylinder, electronic ignition and a dry sump lubrication system

The gearbox chosen was a 5-speed manual produced by Zahnradfabrik GmbH (now ZF), with a self-locking differential. The car received ventilated disc brakes on both the front and rear axles.

The suspension used transverse A-arms, successfully used in racing cars

A version of this engine was later used in the South African version of the BMW 745i (209 examples were built between 1984 and 1986), as well as the E24 BMW M6/M635CSi and the E28 BMW M5.

The leather trim of the 3-spoke steering wheel has been perfectly preserved and looks like new

The legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro from the Italian studio ItalDesign was responsible for the body design, and Lamborghini specialists, who at that time had extensive experience in creating civilian mid-engine supercars, participated in the development of the technical content.

The pedal block is very cramped

In fact, it was also planned to assemble the M1 at Lamborghini production facilities in Italy. Several prototypes were assembled and tested in Sant'Agata Bolognese. However, by the end of the 70s, the Italian company was experiencing serious financial problems and was on the verge of bankruptcy, which resulted in constant delays and disruptions of planned cooperation plans.

Service sticker with information about oil changes in 1982

Ultimately, the Germans broke the contract with Lamborghini and hastily transferred prototypes and all documentation to Germany, starting to look for new contractors for the serial production of the supercar. Finally, the production of the frame was undertaken by the Marchesi company, while the production of the plastic body shell, reinforced with fiberglass, was assigned to the company T.I.R.

Both enterprises were located in Modena, Italy. ItalDesign craftsmen then assembled these parts and installed the interior fittings. The final assembly was carried out by Baur, a convertible company in Stuttgart. This complicated logistics became a major problem for BMW, so an engineering team called Italengineering was assigned specifically to the M1 project.

After many years of inactivity in an Italian garage, the M1 was taken to Germany, where it will be put in order and put on the road.

Most likely, this car will very soon be put up at some auction at an exorbitant price

The plastic body made it possible to reduce the weight of the car to 1300 kg, with a length of 4361 mm and a height of 1140 mm. The M1 had a low center of gravity and excellent axle weight distribution (44:56). At the same time, the coupe was equipped with air conditioning and headlights that went up, according to the fashion of the time.

BMW M1 design in schematic drawing

According to the German company's plans, the M1 was supposed to debut in Group 5, but the leadership of the International Automobile Sports Federation changed the requirements, while the development of the car was already in full swing. To comply with Group 5 regulations and requirements, BMW had to produce at least 400 road-going versions of the M1 within 24 months before receiving approval. Instead of delaying the racing program until a minimum number of models were produced, the Germans found another elegant solution.

One of the races of the BMW M1 Procar series

Spectacular jump with all 4 wheels lifted off

Jochen Neerpasch, who headed BMW Motorsport, proposed creating a one-off racing series involving modified M1 models. Born out of necessity, this championship is called the BMW M1 Procar.

The races started in 1979 and took place on the eve of the Formula 1 stages, and many of the current pilots of the “Queen of Motorsport” were participants. All racers were behind the wheel of cars built to the same standards. The racing series lasted two years: Niki Lauda won in the 1979 season, and in 1980 the trophy went to Nelson Piquet.