Group 5 being virtually a silhouette formula with extensive
modifications allowed, the cars were built by race car constructors, (and in
any event, BMW itself had lost interest in sports car racing, its focus by then
squarely on its F1 engine programme which would lead to the M12/13 turbocharged
4 cylinders used in Nelson Piquet’s Brabham to win the ’83 drivers world
championship). From the ’81 season, a
number of Procars were taken over by teams for racing in such series as the DRM
- Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, forerunner of the DTM. Such cars, remaining with atmospheric engines
were seen in both Group 4 and Group 5 events, the following being
examples: #4301028 – an ex-Lauda
Procar, prepared by Michael Cane Racing.
It was purchased by Steve O’Rourke and run by his team, EMKA
Productions/Racing. O’Rourke himself
drove the car with various partners, including Derek Bell, David Hobbs, Chris
Craft and Eddie Jordan. Two class wins
were recorded in ’81 and the car ran at Le Mans in both ’81 and ’82, though
failed to finish both years. #4301269
– a car looked after by DM Engineering was entered by BMW/BMW U.S. for
races in the summer of ’81 at Watkins Glen and Mosport, driven by Hobbs/Surer
and Hobbs/Stuck respectively, but was a non-finisher on both occasions.
More radical cars with twin turbocharged engines were anticipated to run in Group 5, (Special Production Cars), a category replaced by Group C for the ’83 season. It has been reported that three Group 5 cars were built by March, two by Sauber and one by both Martini Racing and Schnitzer. Best documented are the Saubers. The first of these, usually entered by Sauber itself, and, sometimes, BMW Italia, was mainly campaigned in the DRM, not with much success in ’81, with five DNFs. In the hands of Walter Nussbaumer it did however finish 3rd at Hockenheim. ’82 was a little better – Enzo Calderari took it to victory at a race in Dijon, and, partnered by Kelleners and Umberto Grano, it managed 3rd overall and first in class at the Nurburgring 1,000 km WEC event. The following year, Calderari and Marco Vanoli were victorious at the Hockenheim 3 Hours. The car subsequently competed in Scandinavia, in ’86-’88, mainly driven by Jürg Bächi, recording several podium place finishes.
The second Sauber M1 – distinctive with the iconic BASF livery - got off to a very good start, winning the ’81
WEC Round 7 at the Nurburgring (1,000 km), driven by Stuck and Piquet. This was a significant result against strong
Group 5 opponent Lancia Montecarlos and Porsche 935s. In this race, incidentally, there was also a
Group 4 M1 GT class win for Kurt König and Peter Oberndorfer. Next up was Le Mans, but this was not a
success. Both this, (driven by Stuck,
Jarier and Henzler), and the sister, (driven by Surer, Quester and Deacon),
Sauber M1 mentioned above, failed to finish.
The former was out after only 57 laps with accident damage, while the
sister suffered a terminal engine failure at 207 laps. This second Sauber M1 gave Christian Danner a
podium finish in the DRM at Zolder, but was destroyed by an accident at the
Kyalami 9 Hours in November ’81.
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| Group 5 M1 Sauber #2, Le Mans, ‘81 |
The March involvement was quite convoluted. Its beginnings predated the launch of the
Procar series and were based on the principle that March would do all the work
on the chassis creation whilst BMW focused only on the further development of
the M88 engine with forced induction. At
the time, March was leaning on a man in his mid-twenties, John Gentry. The marque’s confidence in someone with
limited previous experience was evidenced by his being entrusted to design a race-purpose,
aluminium M1 monocoque chassis. Aluminium
also figured extensively, along with composites, in the M1-similar body’s
construction. Initially the car,
designated Mk.1, was fitted with a normally aspirated version of the M88, good
for around 475 bhp. The car was running
early in ’79, but could not be readied for any existing racing class use prior
to homologation of the M1 for Group 4.
However, a second chassis with normally aspirated M88 engine was
entered for the Le Mans 24 Hours run on 10/11th ’79. Crewed by Guy Edwards, Ian Grob and Quester,
it ran in class S2, but failed to qualify for the race. Late in the year another car was built for
Jim Busby, an American with a good deal of driving experience in Porsche 911/934/935
cars run by Brumos and who had plans to enter it in IMSA GTX classification
events in ’80. The car was designated
#03 and first appeared at the Daytona 24 Hours, February ’80. Busby is said to have had the engine replaced
with a Chevrolet unit. That Spring, he entered
it also for races at Sebring, Road Atlanta and Riverside, but only finished at
Road Atlanta, so his enthusiasm was extinguished and the car passed to Bob
Gregg while Busby reverted to a Porsche 935.
Gregg also contested three GTP races, in summer ’82, but, was rewarded
with three DNFs. In February ’83 he
tried his luck at the Miami G.P. but could finish no higher than 25th. A further car was built to replace #001 which
was written off in a ’80 crash. The
details and various versions of these March M1s were not well documented at the
time and I have not been able to verify, for instance, that Busby’s car did
compete with a Chevrolet engine.
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| Second March M1, Le Mans, ‘79 |
The Martini M1 bore chassis number 4301059. It competed in ’81 at Mugello, entered by BMW
Italia/ORECA, at Monza (1,000 km) (ORECA), Le Mans (BMW Italia) and Kyalami (BMW
Italia). Success was limited, though Teo
Fabi and Quester finished 4th at the Monza 1,000 km. The car was a TOTAL entry for Le Mans the
following season, finishing 18th.
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| Group 5 Martini M1, Monza, ‘81 |
The Team Schnitzer car was entered for most of the DRM events of the ’81
season, with Hans Stuck at the wheel. There
were wins at the Norisring and Salzburg, a 2nd at Hockenheim and a
couple of 3rd places. Stuck’s
position in the end of season table was 8th.
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| Group 5 Schnitzer M1, Hans Stuck, DRM |
Almost
half a century after the M1’s heyday, one man remains hyperactive in ensuring
that the model does not exist today only in museum exhibit/garage queen form. He is Fritz Wagner, based at Kolbermoor, south
east of Munich, on the way to Salzberg. He first became acquainted with the M1 when
working at Project Four on the preparation of the Procars for the ’79
season. Subsequently he moved to the
Manfred Cassani team where he helped prepare and run the Procars driven by Hans
Stuck in ’79 and in ‘80 by Manfred Winkelhock and Christian Danner. Then, and in all the years since, Fritz has
made it his main mission in life to locate, buy and store complete M1 cars and the
full range of parts needed for their repair and upkeep. In an interview by Johan Dillen for Classic
Motorsports, Wagner explained: ““I
was the only one to show any interest in the old parts.” I’d haggle with Ron Dennis over a gearbox. I’d give mechanics some drinking money in
exchange for parts. It was no free ride,
but really, they all charged just a fraction of what these parts cost – and I
was the only one willing to give any money for them. In Munich, the Motorsport guys would throw it
all away. Again, I was the only one who
would come to retrieve these parts before they were destroyed. I would just leave them here on the floor at
my home. At the time, I had no clear
idea what to do with all this, but I knew it would come in handy one day.” How right Fritz was. In the last few years M1/Procar reunion
events have become a very popular strand in the classic car/historic motorsport
scene. One especially notable example
was held in ’19 at the Norisring, with several of the 14 cars visiting being run
at speed on the track. For this to be
possible, there is much reliance on Fritz and his knowledge, expertise and
stock of parts. So there is a happy confluence
involving a truly iconic car of the late 20th Century and the
ultimate supportive enthusiast, still so single mindedly focused well into the
21st!
Surviving
examples of both the road-going M1 and Procar models are regularly offered for
resale. The asking/estimated/realised
average price of an M1 in recent years has been £435,000, while £890,000 is the
average for Procars. Seen below are
examples of M1s recently marketed:
#4301006 As might be inferred from the chassis number,
this is an early production M1. In
describing the car, vendors, Gallery Aaldering, stated: ‘It is the third M1
ever built and, according to factory records, the first street-legal version
used by BMW for training sessions and promotional events before being sold to
its first private owner. Originally
delivered from the factory in striking Inka Orange, it was initially used by
BMW as a service training car. Later
sold to Alf Gebhardt, a former BMW works driver and Procar participant.’ The asking price was €599.500.
#4301097 Bonham’s auction lot description included: ‘At the time of cataloguing, the odometer reading was 141,000 kilometres, a testament to BMW reliability and the fact that the M1 has always been, and still is, a very useable supercar.’‘ The sale estimate was given as €390,000 - €440,000.
#4301160
This car is at the other end of the usage
spectrum – Munich Legends’s advertisement for it indicating that it had covered
just 5,000 km from new.
#4301170
Vendor, Broad Arrow, said that this was
one of 71 M1s finished in red. Its first
owner, a figure in the German music industry, commissioned modifications to
give the car the appearance of a Procar, as can be seen in the photographs
below. Broad Arrow’s auction lot value
estimate was €450-€550,000.
#4301180 Sotheby’s sold this M1 in 2025 for £398,750. The auction house noted: ‘Marked as complete
by Baur in February 1980, its original colourway was Toprot over a
Schwarz part-leather interior.‘
#4301226 Another sale handled
by Sotheby’s. This ’80-built example was
finished in blue, ex-factory. It was
restored in recent times by Bruce Canepa’s highly respected Scott’s Valley,
CA-located business. The price tag on
this one was $580,000.
#4301292 Is an example of the relatively rare commodity – an M1 listed on Bring a Trailer. Not that the platform is an inappropriate place from which to offer such a car, as evidenced by the winning bid value of $580,000 (2024). Thinking again of rarity, the car’s colour certainly qualifies – as the BaT description explains: ‘. . .one of three cars delivered from the factory in black, it was built on July 15, 1980, and was delivered new in England.’ It is another which has benefitted from attention at the Canepa workshop. A low mileage – just 30,000 – car which looks both sleek and sinister!
#4301332 A late’80-built car. Reseller, Hero Motor
Company, looked for £495,000, listing particular plus points of upgraded seat
trimming (half leather), the Nachtblau finish, shared by only 58 other road-going
M1s and only 39,500 km recorded.
#4301364 Is another M1 painted
blue when manufactured in October ’80 – it has subsequently been repainted in a
metallic red. Over the years it has been
in use in France, the U.S. and Singapore, but was in Monaco in 2024 when it was
sold by RM Sotheby’s for €342,500.
#4301378 Gooding Christie’s sold this November ’80 manufactured M1 in January ’26, realising a price of €522,500. Said to be the 308th example built and with just 53,000 km on the clock. Its VIN plate is shown below, right. Note that the standard, highly distinctive Campagnolo wheels have been replaced with BBS rims. A set of the Campagnolos was recently offered on eBay for $40,000 – see below, centre.
#4301413 Originally Inka, this is a ’81-made M1. It failed to sell at Broad Arrow’s ‘25 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este Auction, at which the estimate was €475-575,000.
Three
example Procars are seen below.
#4301057 Built in May ’79,
this car was race prepared by Osella.
Subsequently, it went to Vasek Polak’s Dealership at Manhattan Beach, California,
remaining long term in Polak’s well-known collection. It changed ownership in ’25 for $1,600,000.
#4301302 An ’80-manufactured
M1, this car was modified up to Procar specification in ’82 by Walker Brown
Racing for participation in the IMSA GTO series. It is another car which went
to Switzerland in the Eighties after it was retired from full time competition use. Originally finished in white, in recent times
it has been repainted red. In ’15 it
raced in the Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or at the Circuit Dijon-Prenois, as seen,
right, below. Its last resale was in
’24, when it made $1,097,513.
As the half century anniversary of the M1/Procar launch approaches, the E26 BMW remains a highly respected car with strong resale values and appreciation for its aesthetic and dynamic characteristics. Giugiaro’s styling job has been accorded even further favourable recognition with the passing years. In April ’08 the M1 Hommage designed by Benoit Jacob was unveiled at Villa d’Este, and in its Liquid Orange paint it certainly drew attention. But however striking this finish appeared, it was not enough to compensate for an overall ‘look’ which was not as successful as that created by Giugiaro. In particular, Jacob’s interpretation of the traditional kidney grilles element, being decidedly oversized, conferred a clumsy character on the car’s front end. This was just one aspect which robbed the Hommage of the original M1’s elegance. But also missing was the portrayal of a machine ready to race – the E26 was both sleek and purposeful, able to be both a ‘looker’ and a racer, perfectly suited to the circuit at Monaco, whereas the Hommage would seem more at home being valet parked at Monte Carlo’s renowned Hotel de Paris. As to the engine, the ’08 project had at one time included the incorporation of a V10. This was revised, recalling the situation in the Seventies when the M1 lost its V8 on the drawing board. But the substitution of a straight six then has not adversely affected the car today – this configuration helps make the M1 a relatively practical ‘supercar’ in ownership/cost terms. And, as a significant benefit to the marque, the M88 became a very highly rated engine and a key feature of the hugely successful E28 M5 model. So, the M1 can be appreciated as BMW’s most convincing multi-purpose product: elegant junior supercar/effective racer/halo model/legacy provider/brand icon.
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BMW M1 Hommage ©Motorsport Network |
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