1980 BMW M1 E26

OVERVIEW

1980 BMW M1
VIN: WBS59910004301140

The BMW M1 was the first production car from BMW Motorsport. Clad in Italian bodywork by Giorgetto Giugiaro, and built by German specialty coachmaker Baur, this example of the E26 was imported into the US on March 27, 1980. DOT compliance testing soon followed in Los Angeles on May 25, 1980, where it passed with flying colors.

Its first owner was Kenneth Lloyds of Key Biscayne FL, who owned the car until 1986 when it was purchased by David Coffin of Sunapee, NH with only 8,778 km (5,454 miles) on odometer. Coffin, a car aficionado and collector, used the car sparingly for the next ten years. In 1996 the car moved on to a new owner, Robert Greene of Santa Cruz, CA with 12,162 km (7,557 miles) on odometer.

Knowing the collectable value of his M1, Greene put the car away in storage, only taking it out to have it inspected and smogged. The result of this careful preservation was that in 2012 this E26 had only 12,237 km (7604 miles).

The M1 has spent the last three years in the private collection of a BMW dealer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has covered only 800 miles since 2012.

Designed by one of the world's greatest automotive stylists, and built by hand, this amazing low mileage car is a clear window into a unique period of automotive history. This M1 comes with its tools, manuals, spare and jack. Like all the automobiles at Canepa, it's been thoroughly assessed and detailed, both cosmetically and mechanically, to ensure it meets and exceeds the expectations of collectors that drive their cars.

About the M1

The M1 is an iconic sports car, and launched BMW's "M" motorsports division. BMW hand built just 453 M1s, making it one of their rarest models. Of those, only 399 were built for the street. The rest were destined for racing. The M1 was a mid-engine supercar. Its 3.5 liter four valve, twin-cam inline six was good for 277 horsepower and 239 lb-ft of torque. The performance and handling were impressive, especially at speed. The handsome Giorgetto Giugiaro design successfully blended Teutonic and Italian machismo in a style that, 30 years later, still looks surprisingly current.

The E26 M1 project was approved by BMW AG in 1976 under the condition that it would not interfere with the production of any other BMW model. The M1 was developed to show that BMW was a legitimate manufacturer of sports cars that could compete with Porsche and Ferrari on the street, and to offer a purpose-built machine that could participate competitively in the Group 4 and Group 5 racing series.

BMW Motorsport initially contracted Lamborghini to assemble the cars with engines produced and shipped from Germany. However, severe financial troubles at Lamborghini forced BMW to terminate their agreement with the Italian supercar maker. Thus, the production examples of the E26 M1 were partially assembled at Ital Design in Turin using fiberglass bodywork supplied by T.I.R and tubular spaceframes supplied by Marchesi. Final assembly was then conducted at the Baur coachworks in Stuttgart, Germany. Each M1 was then given a final inspection at the BMW Motorsport facility in Munich before being delivered to its owner.

There are many conflicting production numbers regarding the E26 M1. The official BMW production figures show that 453 examples were produced in a three-year period between July 1978 and July 1981. Of these, between 54 were competition versions, while the remaining 399 examples constitute the road-going street cars. It is thought that the final street-legal M1 (non-Procar) was produced in February 1981.

Odometer at 13590 Kilometers = 8444 miles