Photo: Khyzyl Saleem
Is a Formula One driver better than somebody who is paid to manhandle a touring car? What about the drivers who compete in other international series? How do they stack up against those competing in the disciplines mentioned above?
This is a question BMW Motorsport asked back in 1979, when Jochen Neerpasch, who was helming the M division at the time, came up with a one-make series that involved drivers from various high-tier championships battling it out using BMW M1 machines. These were seriously modified, but all the vehicles received identical setups.
Unfortunately, the BMW M1 Procar Championship, to use its full name, only took place for two seasons, with the carmaker deciding to stop organizing this as a Formula One support series and jump into the Great Circus itself.
While the 1979 Procar cup went to Niki Lauda and the 1980 trophy was grabbed by Nelson Piquet, we can't help but wonder how such a fight would take place nowadays.
Sure, the BMW M1 is now a page in the history books, but what if the series used BMW's current halo sports car, the i8?
Yes, we realize this is the second time we come up with a question, so it's about time we offer you an answer. This comes in the form of the rendering above, which shows a Procar incarnation of the gasoline-electric Bimmer.
The rendering, which comes from young British artist Khyzyl Saleem, can be described as a mashup involving the i8 we all know and the Procar M1 using the livery chosen by BMW Motorsport back in the day. To put things bluntly, this is a wet Photoshop dream.
A real-world incarnation of such a racing series would see teams developing strategies for making the most out of the 7.1 kWh battery pack of the i8.
And since BMW has already assured us the i8's carbon fiber composite panels aren't as difficult to repair as we'd imagine, friendly crashes in the corners shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Oh well, guess we'll just have to stick to lucid dreaming for now since, to the best of our knowledge, the Bavarians haven't announced any intention to build a track-confined i8. That downforce, though...
Unfortunately, the BMW M1 Procar Championship, to use its full name, only took place for two seasons, with the carmaker deciding to stop organizing this as a Formula One support series and jump into the Great Circus itself.
While the 1979 Procar cup went to Niki Lauda and the 1980 trophy was grabbed by Nelson Piquet, we can't help but wonder how such a fight would take place nowadays.
Sure, the BMW M1 is now a page in the history books, but what if the series used BMW's current halo sports car, the i8?
Yes, we realize this is the second time we come up with a question, so it's about time we offer you an answer. This comes in the form of the rendering above, which shows a Procar incarnation of the gasoline-electric Bimmer.
The rendering, which comes from young British artist Khyzyl Saleem, can be described as a mashup involving the i8 we all know and the Procar M1 using the livery chosen by BMW Motorsport back in the day. To put things bluntly, this is a wet Photoshop dream.
A real-world incarnation of such a racing series would see teams developing strategies for making the most out of the 7.1 kWh battery pack of the i8.
And since BMW has already assured us the i8's carbon fiber composite panels aren't as difficult to repair as we'd imagine, friendly crashes in the corners shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Oh well, guess we'll just have to stick to lucid dreaming for now since, to the best of our knowledge, the Bavarians haven't announced any intention to build a track-confined i8. That downforce, though...
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