This year BMW is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its supercar the BMW M1. To mark the event the new BMW M1 concept was unveiled in Europe at 2008 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. At this the classic car show the MI concept was placed alongside an original M1 as well as the 1972 Turbo Concept. The guys at "Asphalte.ch" managed to scoop the concept before its public unveiling. Hopefully tomorrow(April 27) BMW will release details about the new M1 prototype when it will be open for public viewing. Stay tuned for more but till then read a bit of history surrounding the original BMW M1 below. The BMW M1 is a sports car that was produced by German automaker BMW in collabration with Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini from 1978 to 1981. It was the first and only mid-engined BMW. It employed a twin-cam M88/1 3.5 L 6-cylinder gasoline engine with Kugelfischer injection. The engine had six separate throttle butterflies, four valves per cylinder and produced 277 PS (273 hp/204 kW) in the street version, giving a top speed of 260 km/h (162 mph). Turbocharged racing versions were capable of producing around 850 hp.
The M1's body was designed by Giugiaro, taking inspiration from the 1972 BMW Turbo show car. Only 456 production M1s were built, making it one of BMW's rarest models. Though the car never saw a great deal of racing success, the M1 is remembered as a refined and civilized supercar in the true BMW tradition, with great handling and stellar build quality.
Photo: Asphalte.ch
Update 27April2008: Click to view BMW M1 Homage Concept Photo Gallery