{"id":53264,"date":"2012-06-01T18:00:34","date_gmt":"2012-06-01T16:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gtspirit.com\/?p=53264"},"modified":"2012-05-31T23:13:39","modified_gmt":"2012-05-31T21:13:39","slug":"the-story-of-40-years-bmw-m-%e2%80%92-the-bmw-m1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtspirit.com\/2012\/06\/01\/the-story-of-40-years-bmw-m-%e2%80%92-the-bmw-m1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Story of 40 Years BMW M \u2012 The BMW M1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BMW<\/p>\n

BMW Motorsports has started well<\/a>, the BMW 3.0 CSL<\/a> was very successful in racing, but the aging ‘Batmobile’ was facing competition from the Porsche 935, the racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976 and immediately victorious \u2012 if not dominant \u2012 in racing. BMW needed a new car to take on the competition from Stuttgart. Therefore the engineers in Munich had already started working on a new sports car which would BMW Motorsport’s first competition car not based on a regular production model: the BMW M1, codenamed E26.<\/p>\n

In contrast to the front-engined CSL, the M1 was designed with a mid-engined layout. Initially engineers Martin Braungart and Paul Roche were considering to develop either a V8 or V12, but eventually they opted for a 3.5 liter straight-six based on the M49 engine which was used in the BMW 3.0 CSi. This petrol powered engine (known as the M88) delivered 277 horsepower in the street version. But eventually for Group 5 racing, the engine was pushed to produce up to 900hp by adding two turbochargers. <\/p>\n

But some dark clouds appeared on the horizon. The M1 was a joint venture between different companies, BMW developed and engineered the technical components. The body was designed by Giorgio Giugiaro of ItalDesign, who drew inspiration from the conceptual 1972 BMW Turbo X1 (pictured below). Lamborghini was supposed to assemble the cars at the rate of two a week. A few prototypes were constructed and tested around Lamborghini’s headquarters in Sant’Agata in 1977, but the Italian Bull was running into financial problems, resulting in significant delays. Just before Lamborghini’s unhappy employees started to occupy the factory, BMW wisely snatched the seven prototypes during the night and shipped them to Germany. <\/p>\n

\"BMW<\/p>\n

BMW was forced to seek new partners in their supercar project. Eventually the production of the spaceframe was carried out by Marchesi, while the glass-fiber reinforced plastic bodyshell was produced at T.I.R., both highly skilled companies were based in Modena. ItalDesign assembled these parts and provided interior fittings. The final assembly would be done by specialist convertible builder Baur in Stuttgart. But this patchwork puzzle proved to be quite a challenge, so a special engineering group named Italengineering was founded to straighten all issues out. <\/p>\n

The first BMW with the now famous “M” in its name was launched in late 1978. With a top speed of 265km\/h it was the fastest road-going car built in Germany. The M1 accelerated from standstill to 100km\/h in less than six seconds, and a sprint to 200km\/h took a mere 20 seconds. In those days only a few cars were able to achieve these kind of performance figures. <\/p>\n

The most famous M1 is without a doubt the one created by the Pop Art legend Andy Warhol. The car raced only once, in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979, finishing sixth overall and second in class. Another M1 became an cultural icon as it was painted by Frank Stella in 1979, who previously was commissioned by BMW to paint a 3.0 CSL.<\/p>\r\n