1980 BMW Other for sale $495,000
| 1980 BMW Other $495,000 | |
| Car Ad from: Hemmings View Original Ad | |
| Price: | $495,000 |
| Contact: | View Original Ad from Hemmings |
| Location: | Emeryville, CA |
| Details: |
1980 BMW M1 s/n WBS4301006 Inka Orange with Black Interior BMWandrsquo;s M1 is a fascinating and unique car from a period during which the supercar was just coming into its own. The word was originally created for the Miura ten years earlier, and other cars that fit the model were emerging, including the Countach, Boxer, and Bora. The M1 was the first German car of this type, and as it has turned out, BMWandrsquo;s only such car to date. Developed jointly with Lamborghini, the car is still very much a German car: it is usable, practical, comfortable, and durable. The heart of the car is the M88 engine, which has an exciting and very racy specification that included dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, one throttle body per cylinder, tubular headers, and dry sump lubrication. The engine was intended for racing, and indeed, the competition version of the M1 was raced extensively in the Procar series, a 1-make series in which drivers from Formula 1, the World Sports Car Championship, and European Touring Car Championship all competed against one another. The races were typically run as support races for F1 events, and Nikki Lauda won the championship in the inaugural year of 1979. Ultimately, the engine was made available in other street cars beyond the M1, including the M635CSi and M5. It was among the most powerful naturally aspirated six cylinder engine available at the time. In addition to its race-oriented engine, the M1 has a host of other interesting and exotic features. The car was styled by Giugiaro and the body manufactured in GRP. The car was developed with Lamborghini and the earliest examples built in Italy, although ultimately it returned to BMW in Germany because of another of Lamborghiniandrsquo;s ventures into receivership during this period. The chassis was built by Marchesi, who supplied chassis to many Italian manufacturers and even made that of the Miura and the car sat on Campagnolo wheels. Thus, it has an interesting mixture of German and Italian features that make it all the more captivating to todayandrsquo;s collector. All in, 453 examples were built, of which 399 were production street cars, ensuring yet another reason that these cars are so collectible today. This particular example has excellent history, having had three owners from new. It has covered just 21,000 kilometers from new. This car was third production M1 built and the first one delivered to a German dealer. It was used as a training car at BMW service centers before being sold to a BMW racer in Tulsa, Oklahoma named Alf Gebhardt. He had been successfully racing CSLs and an M1 Procar since 1978 and thus had the factory connections to import the car without federalizing it. Presumably, this is why the car is titled as a 1980. He drove it occasionally, accumulating 6,000 kilometers by the time he sold it in 1986. Its next owner kept it for nearly 30 years, covering an additional 15,000 kilometers. During the last two decades of his ownership, he had the car serviced by the same BMW Master Technician in Libertyville, Illinois. A recent compression test indicated even results on all six cylinders. The car is in excellent cosmetic condition. The paintwork has excellent gloss and shows minor wear only: light chipping from road use and some cracks at the base of the A pillar on the driverandrsquo;s side. The body is straight with good fit and the car has extensive use of black trim, which is excellent throughout, including the front spoiler. The Campagnolo wheels appear never to have been refinished and are excellent considering this. The lights and lenses are excellent throughout, including the Cibiandeacute; headlamps. The interior is in excellent shape, including the dashboard, seats, carpets, and trim. The leather is supple and there is minor creasing on the driverandrsquo;s seat bolster, but minimal other signs of wear or aging. The details of the car |