A rare silver BMW M1, one of only three ever made in that color, is going up for auction and is expected to fetch between $750,000 and $950,000. The 1981 BMW M1 is one of just 399 road-legal examples and one of only three finished from the factory in silver, according to BMW M1: The Story. This rare model, one of the first to be created entirely under the purview of its elite M division, was developed in the late-Seventies as BMW sought to compete at higher levels of motor sports. The car was initially contracted by Lamborghini to develop the M1 chassis, but financial struggles led to Lamborghini's dissolution. A group of disenfranchised engineers from the Italian automaker banded together and founded their own company to complete the work.
The final product was impressive, featuring a rigid spaceframe, sophisticated double-wishbone suspension with adjustable coil springs and Bilstein gas-filled dampers. The M1's newly developed M88 3,453-cubic-centimeter inline six-cylinder engine was mounted ahead of the rear axle and featured advancements such as six individual throttle bodies and mechanical fuel injection. In street spec, the engine produced 277 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, 243 pounds-feet of torque at 5,500 rpm, and an adrenaline-pumping shriek at full throttle. A ZF five-speed manual transaxle with a limited-slip differential put power to pavement. The precise rack-and-pinion steering was unassisted.
BMW Motorsport initially planned to build enough of the mid-engine coupes to meet FIA Group 5 homologation requirements, but rule changes during the car's protracted development required a minimum of 400 examples to meet Group 4 regulations before the car could be homologated for Group 5. Rather than delay the racing program, BMW created a one-make series while it continued further development and ramped up enough production to meet the new requirements.
The all-new BMW M1 road car and the Procar BMW M1 Championship were announced concurrently in the spring of 1978. Street and competition versions of the M1 were produced in tandem, with around 450 units in total built from 1978 through 1981. Once homologation requirements were satisfied, the M1 was campaigned in various world championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
This 1981 BMW M1 is one of just 399 road-legal examples and the only one factory finished in a special shade of silver metallic called Polaris, according to sources such as the book BMW M1: The Story. The car was acquired and exported to the United States in 2016, where it was entered in the Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue in California, where it won first in class.
RM Sotheby's will auction off the M1 during the Moda Miami event on March 1, 2024.
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