BMW M1 Review And Images

BMW M1 Concept: Super Car Plans Evolve

Lago de Como, Italy — Here's one we didn't see coming - a reinvented BMW super car, the BMW M1 Homage Concept.
The original M1 was built between 1978 and 1981, powered by a 3.5-litre inline 6-cylinder engine.

In the '80s, it was was a very attractive vehicle designed by Giugiaro, and to this day is one of the rarest BMW's ever with less than 500 cars ever built.
Over the weekend BMW surprised everyone at the prestigious Concorso D’Eleganza Villa D’Este event near lake Como in Italy with an intriguing M1 remake.
"For a company as for a product, it is important to be aware of one's roots," said Chris Bangle, director of design at BMW.
"In the spirit of Giugiaro and Bracq, the BMW M1 Homage unites the BMW values of design and technology in a highly emotional and exciting interpretation."
The design is wide and ultra-low, with a front end design with a strong retro look. The headlights have an Alfa Romeo touch, but overall it's a unique design.
BMW's design team has really gone to town on the new concept car, which features an amazing rear end, with a sculpted deck lid with rising edges that lead towards the upturned brake lights.
There are some aspects of the original 1980s M1 car in the new concept car's design, particularly in the overall profile. The unorthodox wheel design is likewise an homage to the first M1 sports car, as is the vented hood.

The original BMW M1 had a mid-mounted 6-cylinder engine that output just over 200kW of power, but the new concept BMW M1 is powered by a version of BMW's 5.0-litre V10, which has been tuned to output more than the standard 378kW of power.
While there has been talk that the BMW M1 concept car's V10 engine is front mounted, the air intakes in the lower rear side skirts and the vented slats where the rear window would suggest otherwise.
BMW's 'M' division was responsible for not only the engine tuning, but also the overall development of the retro concept car, which as the name suggests is an homage to the original M1 super car, celebrating it's 30th anniversary.
The question on everyone's lips is this: will it be built?
At the moment it is purely an exercise in styling for the BMW M division.
But following the Concept CS, another long and low concept that's rumoured for deployment in the near future, there is a small chance that BMW's top brass will be tasking the accountants to crunch the numbers to ascertain if it could develop the modern-day M1 super car without taking a serious financial hit.
If built, the new 10-cylinder BMW M1 would rival vehicles such as the Audi R8, Ferrari F430, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Porsche 911 Carrera.

Arch rival Mercedes-Benz has the SLR super car and when production of the SLR ceases in 2009, the German car maker plans on releasing a new super car in 2010. Audi also has the R8 mid-engined sports car which has been a huge sales success, and both the Benz SLR and Audi R8 have helped improve their respective company's images and badge value among the super rich.
Is the new M1 Concept a sign that BMW wants to capitalise on low-volume, ultra high performance super car models in the future to deliver a similar boost to its international image? Time will surely tell.