BMW M1s are pretty rare. Only 453 were built from 1978 to 1981. An even more exclusive subset were the M1s built specifically to race in BMW’s Procar series. One of those Procar M1s, originally intended as a backup, never made it to the track and was instead turned into a road car and sold as a production car through a BMW dealership.
The car eventually was sold to an American who imported it into the U.S. in 1984. After being active through the late 1990s, it was put into storage. In 2012 it was resuscitated and sent to Canepa, a collector car dealer in Northern California (which according to its web site, also has a nifty museum of racing cars and motorcycles and is free and open to the public).
Canepa decided to perform a ground-up restoration, but there was a problem. Should it be restored as a street car or as a Procar?
In keeping with the car’s schizophrenic history, Canepa decided to do some of both: Build a street-legal BMW M1 using as many Procar parts as possible. According to Canepa’s listing, the car now has “Procar suspension uprights, hubs, control arms, tie rods, axles, mirrors, and that amazing Procar body kit and rear wing. Original Procar center lock BBS wheels were sourced, the centers crack checked, and then rebuilt with new 17-inch rim halves. The front wheels are 10-inch wide running 265/40ZR-17 Michelin Pilot Sports, the rear wheels are 12.5-inches wide running 335/35ZR-17 Michelin Pilot Sports.
VAC Motorsports—a BMW CCA Club Racing Sponsor, by the way—rebuilt the M88 engine. With a cleverly disguised Motec electronic fuel injection system, the car has 414 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The ZF 5-speed manual transaxle was brought back to life by Vintage Racing Motors Inc.
The body and chassis were completely stripped. The fiberglass body was blocked, and the flared fenders were resized for a better wheel appearance. The whole thing was given a concours-quality paint job in a very rare Basalt Blau, which Canepa says was a factory color never offered to the public on an M1, but was used on four special M1s made for the BMW family and Board.
Procar-style dry-break fuel fillers were added behind the rear buttress quarterlights. In keeping with the intent to make this a roadable car, the dry breaks can spin off like a normal gas cap so the car can be refueled at public service stations.
The interior was reinsulated for sound and heat, and retrimmed with black leather. The ashtray, electric mirror switch, door air vents, and manual window caps were removed. Upholstery was counter-stitched in gray to better match the car’s color.
Some of our club members may have seen this car in the paddock at the 2016 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, where it was displayed for the first time. This one-of-a-kind BMW M1 has since been sold by Canepa for an undisclosed—but no doubt hefty—sum.—Scott Blazey
For the entire Canepa photo gallery of this car, visit http://canepa.com/1979-bmw-m1/
[Photos courtesy of Canepa.]
