Description
A unique BMW M1 with period provenance and period upgraded bodywork to factory Procar specification...
-The M1 was the result of an unlikely partnership between BMW and Lamborghini
-Chassis by Dallara, body by Giugiaro and engine by Paul Rosche - Motorsport Royalty
-453 were produced, 53 for motorsport and 400 (all LHD) hand-finished by Baur as road cars
-This example was supplied new in February 1980 to Mr Franz Reuther of Berlin, who is better known as Frank Farian the German record producer and the voice of pop band Boney M
-During his ten year ownership, he had the car modified by BMW Motorsport to incorporate the wider more aggressive look of the race-bred M1 Procar
-Two further owners until it was purchased by our German vendor some years ago
-It retains its dramatic Procar looks and is still fitted with the 17" split-rim period wheels
-The original Becker Mexico music system/ with Clarion graphic equaliser would have been no stranger to the many hits of Boney M and Milli Vanilli
-Recent success at Salon Prive Concours including the “Owners Choice Award"- best in show
-NOVA confirmation in the comprehensive history file along with its ‘Fahrzeugbrief’
In 1977, BMW found an unlikely partner in Lamborghini and started to design a mid-engined supercar featuring their strong 3. 5-litre, 24valve straight-six engine which would be primarily used as a race car in 'Group 5' Sportscar racing.
In order to 'homologate' the car, 400 road cars had to be built, and an initial tubular chassis design was drawn by Gianpaolo Dallara of Lamborghini Design and 7 prototypes were built. However, in April 1978, Lamborghini’s financial situation was less than secure, so BMW took the production of the road car back in-house and the car was hand-built by their ‘Motorsport Division', a separate factory located next to the volume car factory in Munich.
The fibreglass body retained the original Giorgetto Giugiaro design and the engine was breathed on by BMW’s first head of Motorsport, Paul Rosche, who developed 6 separate throttle bodies for the 24valve base 3. 5 engine and combined those with Kugelfischer Bosch mechanical fuel injection and a Magneti-Marelli developed ignition system. This engine is today regarded as a design classic and has featured in many BMW sportscars that were to appear during the 1980s including the BMW M635 CSi. Producing no less than 277bhp and 243lbs feet of torque, it propelled the car through a 5-speed ZF transmission and a limited-slip differential to a top speed of 162mph.
Of the 453 cars produced, all of which were hand-finished by Baur, just 53 were made for motorsport and the remaining 400 cars ~ all left-hand drive ~ have become icons of the BMW brand and are now highly collectable and sought after.
This particular BMW M1 road car was supplied new in February 1980 to Mr Franz Reuther of Berlin, who is better known as ‘Frank Farian’ the German record producer and founder member, and the voice of, 1980s pop band Boney M.
It was to remain in his ownership for the next decade and during this time he decided that the look of the M1 race car, known as the 'BMW Procar M1', was an improvement on the more conservative narrower original bodywork of the standard road car. So at considerable expense, he had his road car modified by BMW Motorsport to incorporate the wider more aggressive look of the M1 Procar and the car retains this unique look to the current day.
The history file tells us that the next owners were Mr Edwin Schwedka of Friedrichsdorf until November 2008 and then Frank Jenner of Belgium who owned the car until it was purchased by our German vendor some years ago. It retains the wider 17" split-rim period wheels and is still fitted with the Becker Mexico music system complete with Clarion graphic equaliser that undoubtedly played a number of Boney M hits
In September 2020 it was exhibited at Salon Privé and presented in their Concours event. Significantly the car won two awards, one for 2nd place in the 1970s category, but more significantly it won the “Owners Choice Award" for best in show. Quite some accolade!
Supplied with a comprehensive history file, including the ‘Fahrzeugbrief’ and its NOVA confirming taxes are paid ready for registering in the UK. It both looks and drives superbly and we strongly recommend coming to view it between Friday 30th October and Thursday, November 12th at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.
Please call to make a 1-hour appointment at a convenient time for you to view this truly amazing and unique period supercar.
You can now book a one-to-one appointment (up to one hour) to view this lot at our central location of Stoneleigh Park (CV8 2LG) Monday to Friday, between Thursday 29th October – 12th November.
Please contact Nick on the details below or using the button below secure your appointment or to discuss the car in more detail.
The health & safety of both our customers and team remain the utmost priority, we are therefore operating to strict COVID-19 guidelines and full instructions for arrival and inspection protocols will be given when making your appointment.
