Body style: Coupé (two-door)
Segment: Exotic
Production years: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981
Founded in 1972, the BMW M’s focus was to develop and build race cars. While all the models produced by 1978 were based on already existing BMW models, the BMW M1 was the first to be built from scratch: the chassis was made at Marchesi and the body work at T.I.R in Italy and were later sent to ItalDesign to assemble the interior.
BMW had to partner with Lamborghini as they could not build the 400 street-legal units in the requested timeframe by themselves. The mechanical parts were mounted in Stuttgart. The M1 had a coupe body style and was also called the E26.
The M1 was produced to compete in Group 4 and was the first BMW model to have a center-mounted engine of 3.5-liter 6-cylinder gasoline, developing 277 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. The reason why the engine was mounted this way was to allow ulterior racing tunning. The next BMW built with a center-mounted engine was the BMW i8, a car closer to our days.
The M1 remained one of BMW’s rarest models and the most successful race car they have ever built. Only 453 units were built. The M1 was sold for only 3 years, from 1978 to 1981.
17 years later, a BMW M1 Hommage Concept was launched, to celebrate the sports car’s 30th anniversary. The concept raised the question if whether BMW would build a modern M1 or not.
ENGINE SPECS - 3.5 | |
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Cylinders: | L6 |
Displacement: | 3453 cm3 |
Power: | 204 KW @ 6500 RPM 277 HP @ 6500 RPM 274 BHP @ 6500 RPM |
Torque: | 243 lb-ft @ 5000 RPM 330 Nm @ 5000 RPM |
Fuel System: | Mechanical Injection |
Fuel: | Gasoline |
PERFORMANCE SPECS | |
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Top Speed: | 163 mph (262 km/h) |
Acceleration 0-62 Mph (0-100 kph): | 5.9 s |
TRANSMISSION SPECS | |
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Drive Type: | Rear Wheel Drive |
Gearbox: | Manual, 5 Speed |
BRAKES SPECS | |
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Front: | Ventilated Discs |
Rear: | Ventilated Discs |
TIRES SPECS | |
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Tire Size: | 205/55 VR16 (Front) - 225/50 VR16 (Rear) |
DIMENSIONS | |
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Length: | 171.6 in (4359 mm) |
Width: | 71.8 in (1824 mm) |
Height: | 44.8 in (1138 mm) |
Front/rear Track: | 61/62 in (1,549/1,575 mm) |
Wheelbase: | 100.8 in (2560 mm) |
Ground Clearance: | 4.7 in (119 mm) |
Aerodynamics (Cd): | 0.4 |
WEIGHT SPECS | |
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Unladen Weight: | 2866 lbs (1300 kg) |
Gross Weight Limit: | 3404 lbs (1544 kg) |
FUEL ECONOMY (NEDC) | |
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Combined: | 14.4 mpg US (16.3 L/100Km) |
CO2 Emissions: | 389 g/km |