From the 40 BMW M1s that were produced, there was only one from that pack that has been registered for road use. This classic is on display at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Every year about 200 of the best collector cars in the world are rolled out for the Pebble Beach Concours. This year the BMW M1 is to make an appearance. This Concours forms part of the Monterey Car Week & Concours D’elegance.
MONTEREY CAR WEEK
This event takes place in Monterey County which is a coastal city in California, USA. The streets, parks, golf courses and its world-renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca track gets filled with classic car owners each year. The event usually takes place in August and several car-related events occur during this week.
BMW M1 HISTORY
It was announced by the Thermal Club that the world’s only street-legal BMW M1 Procar will be on display. A virtual reality track experience was also on offer.
The 40 Procars, as aforementioned, were produced and used as racecars in a championship support series between 1979 and 1980 for the Formula One seasons. It was developed as a one-make racing series in accordance with FISA (Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile) standards. Two years later it was dismantled and in later years reassembled as a road-car by BMW.
THE M1 PROCAR
This particular BMW M1 was marked as 31/40 and manufactured as a spare racecar. It never had the opportunity to hit the track.
This BMW M1 was first purchased in Germany in 1979 by an owner from Mainz. It changed ownership-hands a few times before ending up at a German BMW dealer in 1983. The dealer fitted the car with a special AHG M1 Studie package.
The owner of the dealership, Peter Gartemann, had an idea of creating a limited-design study that looked like the M1 Procar but was made for the street. There would be only 10 models built.
However, an American collector from California then made purchase of the vehicle despite it being non-street legal in the States. It then made appearances at many automobile shows before being labelled as a long-term collectable and put into storage in 90s.
The car was then pulled out in 2012 and taken to Canepa where its restoration began. After its Procar history was confirmed, it was then decided to rebuild the M1 into a Procar. But not just the normal Procar, one that is street-legal.
Engine
The BMW M1’s M88 3.5-litre I6 engine was sent for rebuilding to VAC Motorsports. It is also fitted with a Motec electronic fuel injection system which is hidden in order to maintain its stock-look. Its ZF-sourced five-speed manual transaxle gearbox was rebuilt by Vintage Racing Motors.
As it stands, it puts out power of 414 horsepower (309 kW) and 484 Nm of torque.
Of course, some original parts were hard to come by. Original Procar brakes are one such example and period-specific parts had to be used instead. Canepa made use of Brembo calipers from a Porsche 962 racer and the rotors from a Porsche 935.
The paint colour chosen for this BMW M1 was never really offered. However, four M1s made special for BMW board members wore this color. The colour is called Basalt Blau.
This car has been beautifully restored and I’m certain there are many who would give organs in order to own this car.
