To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Milan event, 22 May 2025.

• The genesis of the BMW M division’s long-lasting road car legacy
• One of only 399 examples of the road-going BMW M1
• Retains its matching-numbers 3.5-litre inline-six engine
• Finished in its factory-correct colour pairing of Rot over a Schwarz interior
• Delivered new via BMW Italia SpA in March 1980; later spending time in the United States, Germany, and France
• Accompanied by a BMW Birth Certificate issued in April 2025

The famous BMW roundel has led the field in many disciplines of motorsport, and the Munich marque’s motivation to build the M1 was born out of its competitive endeavours. By the end of the 1970s, its CSL cars were losing an edge against Porsche’s new 935, and BMW needed a mid-engined chassis to fit its twin-cam 3.5-litre six-cylinder engine. BMW’s Motorsport division first contacted Lamborghini for help needed but by April 1978 the project had been taken in house. The wedge design was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro and built in Italy along with the chassis, prior to final assembly taking place at Karosserie Baur in Stuttgart. The resulting product—badged as the BMW M1 and sold from 1978 to 1981—is widely coveted to this day as a rare piece of BMW history.

The example offered here is recorded to have been finished by Trattamento Italiano Resina (TIR) on 7 December 1979 and later completed by Baur on 7 March 1980, documented as the 116th M1 built. The BMW was finished in Rot over a Schwarz interior and was distributed via BMW Italia SpA. It is understood that early in its life, the car was taken to the United States, where it would be kept in a collection based in New York. The M1 later returned to Europe via its native Germany, and after being acquired by its consigning owner in December 2018 was registered in France in 2019. In the care of the vendor, in June 2019, the BMW was subject to €14,811-worth of mechanical maintenance by Dynamism Automobiles SAS, a BMW service centre based near Angers, France. In April 2022, the M1 was given €10,562-worth of further maintenance work by BMW Bayonne (invoices available to view on file). The odometer shows just 24,237 kilometres at the time of cataloguing.

Now presented in its factory-correct colour combination, offered with a BMW Birth Certificate issued in April 2025, and retaining its matching-numbers engine, this attractive M1 is sure to be coveted by BMW enthusiasts.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/ml25/.