Some vehicles are vital due to what they’re. Others matter due to who owned them. On uncommon events, these two narratives intersect. We’ve acquired one at the moment: a rock-star owned BMW M1. The BMW M1 is arguably a cornerstone of each the BMW and M manufacturers. As the primary true M car, it casts a virtually inescapable shadow on each automotive that adopted it. In the meantime, Roger Waters is liable for a few of the most recognizable Pink Floyd songs to ever be concocted. And it’s his BMW M1 that crosses the public sale block over at RM Sotheby’s in just below 30 days.
BMW M1: A Transient Re-Introduction
The BMW M1 occupies a singular place in historical past as each the model’s first true mid-engine supercar and the genesis of BMW M as a standalone efficiency division. Conceived within the late Nineteen Seventies, the M1 was initially meant as a homologation particular to tackle Porsche in worldwide motorsport. Issues with Lamborghini, initially tasked with improvement, pressured BMW to imagine management and assemble a consortium of Italian specialists to finish the challenge. The end result was a placing wedge-shaped coupe penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro, with fiberglass bodywork over a tubular metal spaceframe. Energy got here from the M88 3.5-liter inline-six, producing round 275 horsepower in highway trim. That was a formidable determine for the period. Able to 165 mph, the M1 was arguably the unique Final Driving Machine.
Past its spectacular in-period specs, the M1’s legacy is outlined by its affect slightly than gross sales success. Solely 399 road-going examples have been constructed between 1978 and 1981, guaranteeing its rarity however limiting its business impression. On the observe, BMW created the modern Procar Championship to showcase the M1, pitting Formulation One drivers in opposition to each other in an identical equipment throughout Grand Prix weekends. This sequence elevated the automotive’s profile and foreshadowed the model’s future. Extra importantly, the M1 established the philosophical basis for each M automotive that adopted: motorsport-derived engineering, understated aggression, and a concentrate on stability.
Roger Waters BMW M1: What to Know
The BMW M1 in query — chassis 4301211 — is completed in blue. Even when the automotive wasn’t owned by musician royalty, it’d nonetheless command an enormous premium for its paint alone. Solely 59 vehicles obtained blue paint; far rarer than the 163 white vehicles or 98 orange ones. Based on the documentation supplied with the automotive, Roger Waters picked up his 1980 BMW M1 in Germany someday in 1979 earlier than importing the M1 to the UK in April 1980. Waters then owned the car for 42 years — retaining paperwork and documentation alongside the way in which. He apparently even held on to the automotive’s authentic German supply plate. Quick forwarding fairly a bit, the automotive acquired a significant mechanical overhaul when it arrived in america in 2021 totaling almost $30,000. The M1 now reveals round 15,600 kilometers (round 9,700 miles).
For those who don’t know, Waters is a founding member of Pink Floyd. He started on bass, however ultimately grew to become the principal singer and songwriter. Albums like The Wall, Want You Had been Right here, and Darkish Facet of the Moon have been all merchandise of Pink Floyd’s Waters-led interval. Thematic albums have been a little bit of a sample for Waters — and arguably a contributor to the band’s large, multi-generational success. RM expects the M1 to promote for between $550,000 and $650,000 USD, and consider it or not, that could be a conservative estimate. Increased mileage examples have offered for over $650,000. All of it comes down as to if or not the customer values the provenance and rarity; in any case, the BMW M1 everybody remembers is probably going Orange or White. The automotive sells at RM’s Arizona public sale in January.
Supply: RM Sotheby’s 1980 BMW M1
