by Mike –
If a car can be considered NOS (new old stock) then this 1981 BMW M1 is it. This special BMW was unsold and stored in a dealer warehouse for 30 years until the current owner bought it. It now has only 682 km! An average of 20 km per year.
This M1 has an interesting story that includes a Major League Baseball superstar, a BMW dealer in Italy and another BMW dealer in Pennsylvania, USA. It is up for auction by RM Southeby’s at their Driven by Disruption Auction on December 10, 2015 in New York.
1981 BMW M1
Estimate: $800,000 – $1,000,000 USD
With chassis design by Gian Paolo Dallara and body style by Giorgetto Giugiaro the BMW M1 is classic car royalty with both German and Italian blood.
RM Southeby’s writes,
277 bhp, 3,453 cc M88 DOHC inline six-cylinder engine with Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection, five-speed manual transmission, front and rear dual A-arm independent suspension with coil springs, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 100.8 in.
A superlative example of BMW’s ultimate supercar
One of 399 road-going examples
Extremely low mileage; never sold into private ownership
Accompanied by original, unopened toolkit; recently servicedWith performance times comparable to, or better than, the day’s fastest Ferraris and Porsches, the M1 was manufactured in a limited quantity of approximately just 450 total examples over three years (with just 399 cars specified for road use), giving the model a genuine rarity to add to its other superlative attributes. As a disruptive force, it revolutionized BMW’s approach to motorsports and remains the only true mid-engine exotic supercar in the company’s storied history.
The big question is what does a new owner do with essentially a brand new 1981 supercar? Does one drive it or keep it under wraps and only bring it out for special events, while keeping the odometer reading as low as possible? The answer depends upon the new owner.
I would drive it like I had just bought a new car and put some miles on the odometer. It would be welcome with open arms at any event and I would drive it there. Let’s see what the new owner does (no pressure).
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
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A M1 was at V.O.B. auto in Rockville Md. for quite some time. The legend has it that it was sold 2 times and bought back 2 times. The 3rd time a dealer in NJ bought it. I was working part time as a DX driver. A car needed to be picked up in NJ. Our service manager drove the M1 with me as passenger to the dealer in NJ where I was dropped off to pick up the car going back to Md. WILD RIDE!
Chassis built by Lamborghini
Exorcise it frequently and then, when the time is right, allow someone else to enjoy it.