1981 BMW M1

Chassis No. WBS59910004301326
Engine No. M88-354
By the late 1970s BMW's now-legendary “M” division (BMW Motorsport GmbH) had firmly established itself as a world-class force to be reckoned with on the international motor racing circuit. What began for the Bavarian brand with the lightweight 328s that swept the Mille Miglia podium in 1940, continued postwar with such successful cars as the aggressive hillclimbing 700RS of the early 1960s and the BMW 2002's feats of glory at the Nürburgring in the years thereafter. By the early 1970s, however, BMW “M”, now founded and formalized with only 35 initial employees, took the company's motorsport efforts to the next level, immortalized perhaps most famously by the iconic photograph of Hans-Joachim Stuck in his BMW 3.0 CSL “Batmobile” at speed on the Nürburgring, with all four wheels squarely off the track, fully airborne. The best, however, was yet to come with the introduction of BMW M's first fully independent engineering project and the progenitor of a line of M-cars that followed thereafter and have continued BMW's dominance, both on and off the track, with the M3, M5, and M6, to name but a few models.
Indeed, the M1 as it was known, was groundbreaking in more ways than one. The first and, until most recently, only mid-engined sports car by BMW, it was borne of a desire by BMW and “M” chief Jochen Neerpasch to compete head-on with Porsche in Group 5 racing. A mid-engine design reminiscent of the BMW Turbo concept was married with a Gianpaollo Dallara-designed tubular space frame chassis and a striking wedge design by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro. As Car and Driver wrote of its design in 1981, "It's as aggressive-looking as anything you're likely to see on the road, standing less than 45 inches high, spanning about 72 inches in width, and gripping the pavement with four squat Pirelli P7s set at the car's extreme flanks.”
Production delays, owing to a failed intended partnership with Lamborghini, ultimately resulted in a collaborative effort of construction between TIR, ItalDesign, Baur, and BMW Motorsport, which saw the cars produced between 1978 and 1980. Partway through production, Neerpasch devised a BMW-specific championship series, utilizing the M1, which was intended to facilitate Group 4 and Group 5 homologation requirements in the World Sportscar Championship. Known as the Procar BMW M1 Championship, the series ran alongside Formula One and saw some of the era's greatest Grand Prix drivers behind the wheel alongside numerous privateers, with Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet winning the first and second seasons, respectively.
With homologation regulations stipulating the construction of 400 units, production finally ceased at about 453 total cars, of which 399 were road cars and the balance racing cars. According to the BMW M Registry, this particular BMW M1 was built in September 1980, originally specified for Austrian delivery. Quite remarkably it is one of only two or perhaps three such M1s originally finished in black, here complemented by black leather seats with checked black cloth inserts. The rarity of this livery is simply extraordinary, as it accounts for less than one percent of total M1 street car production!
Ultimately exported to the United States, documentation on file indicates acquisition in 1998 by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based enthusiast Langdon Wheeler, with slightly less than 10,000 miles indicated on the odometer at the time. It should be noted that the speedometer/odometer currently in place is in mph, and was likely installed upon the car's importation to the United States, therefore the exact total mileage is unknowable. Wheeler is believed to have been the M1's third owner, and while the car was already in the US by the time of his 1998 purchase, it is not known precisely when it was imported.
The M1 passed through the hands of two subsequent US-based owners, with one keeping the car for nearly a decade, before it was acquired by Bill Fleischman in 2011 as a counterpoint to the Fleischman Collection's Z8. A digital file of service records dating back to 1998 accompanies the M1; they document a variety of general maintenance and repair items, notably including the installation of a new, lowered driver's seat while in Mr. Wheeler's ownership. Most recently, in 2018 the M1 received a comprehensive service at DIRO of Harbor City, California, during which oil & filter were changed, rebuilt brake calipers were installed, cooling and fuel systems were flushed, while the throttle linkage was adjusted.
Today, the M1 presents extremely well in its original, extremely rare factory colors of black over black. Visual clues give off the impression of a car that has accumulated limited mileage and been kept substantially original during the course of its life. As evidence of this, the M1 retains its original, matching numbers engine and Karl Baur body tag. It is accompanied today with copies of the aforementioned service documentation, copies of an owner's manual, as well as a tool roll, jack, and spare.
The BMW M1 was, and continues to be, an absolute tour de force for the “M” division. Powered by a domesticated, high revving 3.5-liter M88/1 straight six racing engine with Kugelfischer-Bosch mechanical fuel injection, six separate throttle bodies, twin cams, and four valves per cylinder, mated to a five-speed ZF gearbox, the M1 defined the quintessential “BMW M” recipe for years to come. A delight to behold and drive, with the pedigree of BMW Motorsport readily apparent throughout, it is not only the cornerstone of all “M” development that followed but is rightfully considered among the rarest and most desirable of its era's supercars. The opportunity to acquire an example such as this, in such an extraordinarily rare color combination is particularly unrepeatable.