The BMW M1 (internal designation E26) was a super sports car from BMW with a longitudinally mounted mid-engine and rear-wheel drive. From autumn 1978 to the end of 1981, 453 vehicles were produced. In 1972, BMW presented a prototype called the BMW Turbo (E25). This vehicle, equipped with gullwing doors and a four-cylinder mid-engine, was not intended for series production, but served as a design study and technology demonstrator. Another example followed in 1973. The 250 km/h turbo was a response to cumbersome safety car prototypes with clunky add-on parts. (See, for example, the Volvo VESC).

The basic concept of the Turbo created a thick safety cushion for the driver: low center of gravity, wide contact patch and a special chassis. Added to this were driver assistance systems such as ABS, radar distance warning and a lateral accelerometer. In addition, there was a passive safety package with seat belts that close the circuit for the ignition lock, or the safety steering column with three universal joints. The door jambs continued into the roof to form an invisible roll cage and were complemented by safety crumple zones with hydraulic dampers in the front and rear. The color scheme was also focused on safety: a bright red with bright orange front and rear sections.

BMW chief designer Paul Bracq’s futuristic styling study set the tone for the BMW M1 development that followed in 1976. This was carried out according to BMW’s specifications at Lamborghini in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy. The vehicle was originally also to be manufactured there, but there were later problems at Lamborghini, so the vehicle was produced by Baur in Stuttgart. Giorgio Giugiaro was responsible for the body design, making the BMW M1 more businesslike than the prototype BMW Turbo and dispensing with the gullwing doors.

The BMW M1 was presented in 1978 and was classified as a superlative car. Car tester Gerold Lingnau attested to the car’s “sophisticated technology and superior driving characteristics.” BMW founded BMW Motorsport GmbH specifically for development and production; the M in the model name thus stands for Motorsport.

The body of the BMW M1 is built on a lattice tube frame. Many parts from BMW’s passenger car program of the time are used. An externally striking feature are the rear lights used from the BMW 6 series at the time. Unusual for BMW was the use of folding headlights, which were necessary because of the American regulations at the time on the height of the lamps in the aerodynamically flat front.

Originally, the BMW M1 was planned for use in motorsport, with only a homologation series to be built in small numbers for public road use. However, changes in the international regulations even before the BMW M1 was presented made it practically superfluous as a racing car. It was still used with moderate success as a racing car in various series, but the majority of the vehicles produced were sold to private individuals as road versions, contrary to the original plan. On March 1, 1983, the BMW M1 was subsequently homologated for Group B and then appeared sporadically as a rally car (for example, at the 1983 World Championship Rally Corsica) in international competitions.

Only in the Procar series, a supporting program of Formula 1 in 1979 and 1980, did the BMW M1 gain greater attention in the field of racing. In the Procar Series, the five fastest Formula 1 drivers from the practice runs competed with BMW M1 factory cars against selected private drivers of this vehicle type.