The relative rarity of the BMW M1 is reflected by the fact that this is only the seventh example that we have seen at Barn Finds. This 1981 model is a genuine survivor with a mere 8,400 miles showing on its odometer. Given BMW’s well-earned reputation for longevity, this classic should provide its next owner with many years of classic motoring pleasure. The seller has listed the M1 here on eBay in Miami, Florida. The price of admission for any vehicle of this caliber is rarely cheap, with the seller setting a BIN of $750,000 with the option to make an offer.
BMW’s “M Division” was formed as the company began to focus more heavily on motorsport involvement and producing high-performance road cars. It remains in operation, producing some of the most desirable European classics like the legendary M3 and M5. Its first offering was the M1, a vehicle with a troubled development history. Originally conceived as a partnership between BMW and Lamborghini, the Italian manufacturer found itself in financial difficulties during the late 1970s, a situation which wasn’t unusual for the company before it became part of the Volkswagen Group. Faced with the prospect of losing millions of dollars if it shelved the project, BMW brought production in-house, with the first M1 appearing in 1978. The final cars emerged in 1981, with our featured M1 one of the last built. It presents superbly in what I believe is Arctic Blue, with no visible cosmetic flaws or issues. It feels like you could almost walk into the paint, with the beautiful Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed fiberglass body appearing flawless. BMW mounted the body atop a tubular steel chassis, and the company’s attention to detail should ensure that this classic is rust-free. The glass is clear, and there are no visible problems with the car’s original and elegant 16″ Campagnolo alloy wheels.
While the racing variants featured bare-bones interiors, roadgoing examples of the M1 featured plenty of creature comforts. The first owner ordered the car with air conditioning, power windows, power mirrors, a leather-wrapped wheel, a Blaupunkt radio/cassette player with an equalizer and a range of speakers for sound that you can feel, and seats trimmed in Black leather with Gray cloth inserts. The lack of wear is indicative of a car that has been treated respectfully throughout its life and has a four-figure odometer reading. The outer seat edges are worth special mention, as these are prone to wear with age. Overall, the buyer won’t need to spend a dime on this interior.
The M1 represented BMW’s first mid-engine offering, and it pulled out the stops to produce something special. It handed the development of its 3.5-liter straight-six powerplant to legendary engineer Paul Rosche, a man who would cement his place in racing folklore when he later unveiled the company’s 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder Formula One engine that generated an incredible 1,500hp in qualifying trim. This car’s DOHC fuel-injected six isn’t that potent, sending 277hp and 243 ft/lbs of torque to the road via a five-speed ZF manual transaxle. Brutal acceleration wasn’t the aim of the exercise in roadgoing trim, although this car’s ability to cover the ¼-mile in under 14 seconds as it headed to a factory-quoted top speed of 163mph demonstrated that the M1 was no lightweight. This beauty has been meticulously maintained throughout its life, suggesting that there is documentary evidence confirming that the odometer reading of 8,400 miles is genuine. It comes with a range of desirable items, including the original Owner’s Manual, M1 Sales Literature, and even a complete set of unique M1 luggage and a pair of M1 sunglasses in their case. Although it isn’t specifically stated, it appears that this BMW is a turnkey proposition.
BMW had high hopes for the M1 as a genuine Group 5 racing contender, but its delayed development meant that it failed to achieve that goal. Instead, it found its home in Group 4, with the company also initiating a one-make “Procar” series that pitted some legendary racers against each other in identical machinery. Eventually, only 453 of these classics left the factory, with 399 destined for road use. That makes this 1981 example a rare beast by any standard, but it also represents a considerable financial outlay. Values have dropped significantly during the past year, but it is unclear whether this is simply a market correction that happens occasionally. It has attracted over 200 Listing Views during the past day, but do you believe that any of those could translate into a successful sale?
Wow what a machine. Unreal top speed, then and now. Thanks Clarkey for the article and featuring this rare BMW.
My pleasure, Stan. Now, if I could only find $750,000…
Absolutely gorgeous BMW. For some reason any photos I’ve seen of these they’re always red. This blue is beautiful. I’m with what Stan said great write up Adam and what a top speed. I’ve always liked the wheels on these too.
They must use Grade 8 bolts to secure the front license plate at 163 mph.
Oof. One of my halo cars. Fortunately I can’t A) ever afford it and B) ever fit in it (I’ve tried).
OMG! What a fantastic car, that really is the perfect colour for the machine. What a beauty. And a mere $750k. I (continue to) want one.
My local dealer had one on the showroom floor when these came out. (Yes it was red) I already knew about these when I drove by. I was late to work that day!
These things were a bit of a flop when released. Big, heavy and a bit underpowered they sat around on dealers lots forever. So underwhelming BMW had to create its own race class – made up of just the M1- in an atrempt to give it some legitimacy. Looks wise they look they were cribbed off Italian design (Mazer Bora or Jalpa). Interesting to see how the narrowing of car brands has elevated this car. I think for the ask there are far far more interesting – both esthetic and performance new or old – that I’d put my money in
Maybe, but not as rare as this M1. These M1’s are so rare that If I had the money I would have bought it already! As an aside I used to own a Honda Rebel 450cc motorcycle, the only one left on the roads in UK. It needed new inlet manifolds which I discovered were unobtainium and the repair shop offered me £50 for it as spares. I told him where to go, repaired the cracks in the manifolds and it ran as sweet as if it were new. I later advertised it and mentioned it’s rarity and for a buyer to make an offer, and a collector who knew exactly how rare it was, offered me £3000 for it, sight unseen. He collected it and phoned me the next day to say how happy he was to now own it and that he would care for it like it was his newborn son!
I see the Lambo Jalpa for sure Yankee 👍 🇮🇹
What’s going on with the headlight door in photo 10? I agree with Yankee. For $750K there are a lot of choices out there, and this would not be one of mine.
Poppy, Looks like some scratches in the paint. If you are questioning what looks like the Paint Lifting or Bubbling, I think it is just reflections of the Clouds overhead, as seen in other photos.
I’m not so sure about that. Every photo of the front end shows some sort of irregularity in that spot regardless of angle, lighting or skies. And why provide a close-up of that one corner but not the other, if not to feature the anomaly for full transparency to buyers?
Some photos show the other headlight door has a subtler distortion in the same area, so I suspect the issue might derive from headlight heat baking the fiberglass or paint. Swapping to a good-quality LED sealed-beam replacement (e.g. Holley RetroBright) may well reduce heat enough to prevent it getting much worse.
At any rate, it seems straightforward enough to correct for someone with pockets deep enough to buy this, if they want a flawless appearance at the expense of preserving utmost originality.
I totally agree with SubGothius. That headlight door definitely has problems. Having said that, it should be an easy repair for a capable body man.
What if I wanted fur covered seats? Then I’d have to spend some on the interior.
Very nice car. You even get a tool kit and luggage!
Wow a M1 BMW… I remember in the early 80s I was driving my 70 Dodge Challenger R/T on the country roads in Mt. Kisco NY going to visit family. It was red and in front of me. I just read a write up on it from C&D or Road and Track. The price i think was $120,000.00 and I knew it was fast. It sounded great. The owner was down shifting between gears going around the curves. I was with him. 😄. It was fun following the M1. And that’s the only time I seen one on the road. The next time it was at a car show in Westchester county in NY. These M1 are worth it. Where I live i was fortunate to see a lot of exotic cars that otherwise other people won’t see in different parts of the country. I wish a lot of luck to the seller. 🐻🇺🇸
You are correct. My dad called up the dealer who had a red one on his showroom floor. $120,000. It did just sit there with no takers.
Was it sitting there because there was no interest in it or because the price was $120,000?
Wow and WOW!!!! Ebay is not the place to sell this high end car, but it will get exposure for sure.
This car makes me wonder… Do I really need TWO kidneys?
I mean, the car already comes with two of them, right there in the front-end…
What if I wanted to drive it? 44 yr. old tires are not the way to go…
If you can afford the $750k to buy it you can afford to install new tyres on it!
Hi Solo!
Where you been hiding? Miss seeing you here.
Beautiful car – great history(also for this one).. but the BIN is a bit up.. not even the originally customized Boney M M1 fetched that hid.. . Blue is a color more then most expected – ig in lil Denmark up North the “travel king” had one.. as new.. and seen a few in Germany and Italy too.. most prob red.. and white.. but also quite a few Silever too.. fast for the time yes.. but not extremly fast – Ferraris V12 – Lamobos – Porsche Turbo(930) were in the same league.. and def. same price range.. BUT the M1 had/ has somethign about.. i love it.. and especially in 450bhp Procar form
BMW specialist mechanic in Tulsa, OK imported several M1’s for race car development. Of course, many found their way to the garages of the wealthy in Northeast Oklahoma as gray market cars, so we occasionally saw an M1 in action. Big dollars then, and big dollars now.
I remember the first time I saw an M1 and instantly felt like my lower jaw weighed 1,000 lbs. Then came the wave of disappointment when I saw the $350K price. Knowing I could have owned two for the price of one today is not how this fantasy is supposed to go….
Do you think he would accept an offer of $749K?
After all…. It is a 44 year old vehicle!!!
for that kind of money I would look for a Aston Martin V8 Vantage or a Iso Grifo or a Bizzarrini Not that I think the M1 is not a nice car just not my preference for the money
Goldie Hawn drove one of these in the movie “Death Becomes Her” with Meryl Streep and Bruce Willis.
$120,000 in 1981 dollars comes to what in 2025 dollars? Im asking because of Cadillacs $340,000 Celistiq
$120k in 1981 was equivalent to about $445k in today’s dollars.
Thanks Adam for posting the rare M1 I may have come across one or two in Sydney, and that was long ago
Kind regards Mick
What an opportunity for a well heald individual to collect a very special sports car. Looks like the market has a price has depreciated a little for this car. I’ve read this car has cross the line at one and a half million to two million at one point.
For the $750k ask of this M1 I am hunting down a 1974 Lancia Stratos, 1982 Renault R5 Turbo 2 AND a 1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth… cars with way more pedigree and interesting back stories. I might even have enough left over to buy this same M1 M88 engine in a 1988 BMW M5. The M1 is a rare and interesting car but can’t compete with cars like the Stratos and RS500 Cossie.
A Lancia Stratos was just on BaT, it went to $685k, reserve not met.
DuckNCover, I really like your choices. You must have serious rally blood like me!
When these first came out in 1978, it made a tremendous impression on me. I was first starting to enter the world of exotic cars via AutoWeek magazine. Back then it was more of a newspaper than a real magazine. I learned about the M1 and other great cars, but the M1 held a place in my heart. Guess I’ll be playing the lottery this weekend!
Is this the same car from April 2017 that appeared on BarnFinds?
https://barnfinds.com/luggage-included-8000-mile-bmw-m1/
If it is, it hasn’t appreciated as much as I’d have thought.