1980 BMW E26 M1
Discussion
I've loved these since I had a Silver with red interior Matchbox one in about 1980. Definitely a lottery garage car made all the more special by the fact that most people will have no idea what it is.
Well done for persevering with returning it to it's original condition, one of my all time favourite cars, thanks for sharing.
Well done for persevering with returning it to it's original condition, one of my all time favourite cars, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for all the comments, I really do love this car and have lusted after one since they were announced in the late 70's and I was doing my A levels.
I do agree that they look stunning in Silver. The fact that only 3 were made in Silver, one of the first prototypes, one for Bernie Ecclestone and one other customer car, I find quite surprising. The one customer car was recently sold in Germany by Mint Classics. I believe one of the reasons the car was repainted white was that the silver paint job was not the best quality, although I never saw it. I also think painting the wing mirrors silver was a mistake, they should have been left black.
Driving the car at slow speeds is a challenge. The steering is very heavy, no power assistance, the turning circle huge at 13 metres and visibility to the rear 3/4s is not great. Judging where the car is is not easy either, you can't see the front or the rear very well. The pedals are close together and offset to the right due to the wheel arch, I can't easily drive in regular shoes as I'd catch the clutch when using the accelerator. If you're over 6 foot then you'd struggle, the seat does not move very far back and your head would be touching the roof, fortunately I'm only a short arse at 5'8".
Once you're moving however, everything starts to flow very well. The clutch is firm but not too heavy and the gear change of the 5 speed dog leg box is very precise. Even by modern standards the car is fast, it's on a par with my E39 M5, The gear ratios well chosen too get the best from the engine. The handling and balance are excellent and the ride is surprisingly supple, even with the relatively skinny tyres by modern standards (205 front, 225 rear) there is no shortage of grip. The noise from the engine, although nothing like the wail from the ProCars, is sublime and just invites you to use all the revs available. Of course you have to have respect for the car, there's no ABS, no traction control and no air bags, so you really don;t want things to go wrong!
Unlike other sports cars from the late 70's and early 80's, the car just seems to work with no drama too. The first time I drove the car any distance was a 300 mile trip after collection back home. This was on 1st July last year from the south of England round the M25 and up the M1. Remember the 1st July last year? It was the hottest day of the year, Heathrow measured 36.7 C at about 2:00pm, just the time I was passing! The car performed flawlessly, the A/C kept things cool even though the rake of the windscreen means the dash gets red hot in the sun. Fancy doing that trip in a Lamborghini Countach, Lotus Esprit S1 or Ferrari 512BB?
What makes the car so interesting are all the little details. One of my favourites are the wing mirrors.
The view from the drivers seat in the left mirror
and the right mirror
Now sit in the passenger seat, left mirror
right mirror
The passenger can't see either mirror because the two mirrors are in different places on the door.
Left
Right
and seen from above
As I said, just little details, but even given the very limited production numbers, someone has thought things through. Look at the washer jets as well, 2 for the drivers side so even the single wiper works reasonably well.
The cabin air vents are another, air enters through the vents at the base of the windscreen, positioned to avoid the heat from the central vent for the radiator, into the cabin and then through a vent in the back of the door cards. From there the air goes forwards through the door and exits in a low pressure area near the door hinge and through the shut line between door and front wing.
I do agree that they look stunning in Silver. The fact that only 3 were made in Silver, one of the first prototypes, one for Bernie Ecclestone and one other customer car, I find quite surprising. The one customer car was recently sold in Germany by Mint Classics. I believe one of the reasons the car was repainted white was that the silver paint job was not the best quality, although I never saw it. I also think painting the wing mirrors silver was a mistake, they should have been left black.
Driving the car at slow speeds is a challenge. The steering is very heavy, no power assistance, the turning circle huge at 13 metres and visibility to the rear 3/4s is not great. Judging where the car is is not easy either, you can't see the front or the rear very well. The pedals are close together and offset to the right due to the wheel arch, I can't easily drive in regular shoes as I'd catch the clutch when using the accelerator. If you're over 6 foot then you'd struggle, the seat does not move very far back and your head would be touching the roof, fortunately I'm only a short arse at 5'8".
Once you're moving however, everything starts to flow very well. The clutch is firm but not too heavy and the gear change of the 5 speed dog leg box is very precise. Even by modern standards the car is fast, it's on a par with my E39 M5, The gear ratios well chosen too get the best from the engine. The handling and balance are excellent and the ride is surprisingly supple, even with the relatively skinny tyres by modern standards (205 front, 225 rear) there is no shortage of grip. The noise from the engine, although nothing like the wail from the ProCars, is sublime and just invites you to use all the revs available. Of course you have to have respect for the car, there's no ABS, no traction control and no air bags, so you really don;t want things to go wrong!
Unlike other sports cars from the late 70's and early 80's, the car just seems to work with no drama too. The first time I drove the car any distance was a 300 mile trip after collection back home. This was on 1st July last year from the south of England round the M25 and up the M1. Remember the 1st July last year? It was the hottest day of the year, Heathrow measured 36.7 C at about 2:00pm, just the time I was passing! The car performed flawlessly, the A/C kept things cool even though the rake of the windscreen means the dash gets red hot in the sun. Fancy doing that trip in a Lamborghini Countach, Lotus Esprit S1 or Ferrari 512BB?
What makes the car so interesting are all the little details. One of my favourites are the wing mirrors.
The view from the drivers seat in the left mirror
and the right mirror
Now sit in the passenger seat, left mirror
right mirror
The passenger can't see either mirror because the two mirrors are in different places on the door.
Left
Right
and seen from above
As I said, just little details, but even given the very limited production numbers, someone has thought things through. Look at the washer jets as well, 2 for the drivers side so even the single wiper works reasonably well.
The cabin air vents are another, air enters through the vents at the base of the windscreen, positioned to avoid the heat from the central vent for the radiator, into the cabin and then through a vent in the back of the door cards. From there the air goes forwards through the door and exits in a low pressure area near the door hinge and through the shut line between door and front wing.
As a self confessed Bavarian fanboi the M1 is just sublime. I'd planned on getting one, once my lottery win finally comes along, but I tried getting in one at Munich Legends and let's just say I ''struggled''. It seems I am both too long and too wide.
I look forward to drooling over yours at Donnington.
I look forward to drooling over yours at Donnington.
My favourite M88 clip; a rising crescendo that my M635 dreams of.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO2_ZkaTGPY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO2_ZkaTGPY
Spent a few hours grovelling around under the car making sure everything is in order, even up on Rhino ramps it's quite hard to get underneath, no room for a creeper, good job the plastic tiles are quite slippery!
Re-coated all the chassis under seal everywhere it's possible to reach without dismantling everything and removing the engine
Had the air conditioning re gassed with RS24 as the original R12 is illegal, replaced the drying container as it look original and probably wasn't doing much.
Spring oil and filter change done, I prefer to change it every spring and autumn regardless of how many miles its done or hours the engine has been run. MOT passed without any advisories which is always good.
Took the car to Sports Cars In The Park at Newby Hall a couple of weeks ago, excellent day out, seemed to generate quite a bit of interest.
Re-coated all the chassis under seal everywhere it's possible to reach without dismantling everything and removing the engine
Had the air conditioning re gassed with RS24 as the original R12 is illegal, replaced the drying container as it look original and probably wasn't doing much.
Spring oil and filter change done, I prefer to change it every spring and autumn regardless of how many miles its done or hours the engine has been run. MOT passed without any advisories which is always good.
Took the car to Sports Cars In The Park at Newby Hall a couple of weeks ago, excellent day out, seemed to generate quite a bit of interest.
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