A red nosed black sheep of the BMW family

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Over the next 12 months you will be flooded with BMW history info. As 2016 is the year that  BMW will be celebrating their 100th anniversary.  The blue and white propeller has been the proud symbol of the aero engine builder since then. Motorcycles followed later. The cars came in 1929 when BMW took over the DIXI brand who were building a licenced copy of the Austin Seven. More compact and foremost sporty cars were to follow. With the 328 Roadster BMW created one of the very best sports cars which were available prior to 1940. 

Also is more happy post-war times the motorsport was and is in the ambition package of BMW. After great succeses in the with the 1800 TISA , 2002 Group II and more the Munich firm wanted to take the next step by entering the the nich for 'Italian sportscars' . The M1 with M for Motorsport was a bold and clear statement. Both in metal as in marketing. The 'M' symbol is very much alive until today. The M1 itself was considerably less succesful.  

The M1 based on a cooperation with Lamborghini and Giugaro was not a big succes due too an avalanche of technical problems -  primarily in the eingien department -  and big problems in the cooperation with Lamborghini.  

One can write various big fat books about life and misery of the M1 . Luckily others did so before us and much better than we would do it (BMW M1 : Jürgen Lewandowski). What remains is the M1 as a milestone of the postwar motorsport ambitions of BMW.  The BREMEN Classic Motorshow (5-7 February)  are proud to showcase among without doubt flocks of other classic BMWs one of the swifter variations of the M1: the very rare M1 Turbo. 

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