Tuesday 27th August 2013

BMW M1 Procar: Time for Tea?

One of our favourite racers, driven by a very PH-minded prince

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Almost any video featuring a BMW M1 usually gets our attention. The car is genesis as far as BMW M is concerned, and that's quite a significant accolade to hold. That it's also one of BMW's most beautiful cars further adds to its significance.

Niki Lauda + M1 Procar = very cool pic

But add 'Nurburgring GP' and 'Prince Leopold of Bavaria' to the video description and clicks are guaranteed. Turns out said Prince has competed in both Australian and world touring cars with BMW, and remains a fairly handy driver; he also remains a racing adviser for BMW. That makes him a very cool prince as well as OAP (he's 70 according to Wikipedia) in our book.

The M1 Procar sounds simply divine, its 470hp and 1020kg powering it around the GP circuit at a fairly indecent speed. And seeing as the video is just an on-board, we had to feature some pictures also; it's a spectacular looking thing.

Should the video cause a hankering for an M1, the PH Classifieds currently features one M1 road car. The price? Well, if you have to ask...

Enjoy the vid

 

 

[gforceg]

Good grief that sounds nice. I don't give a damn that the 1M (?) ran away from it. Those M1s are just something so special.

[Chunkychucky]

Car that was pulling away looked like an E92 M3 in GT4 trim. Sounds gorgeous that M1, the uploader's other video of the Group 5 E21 320 is also worthy of note for the screaming engine!

[e21Mark]

You can keep your modern stuff. There's just something so special about race BMW's of that era. I might be slightly biased though?

[thiscocks]

Vid not long enough

[quavey]

I've just watched it twice to make it longer... I could have watched many laps of that!

[chevronb37]

This was among various special BMWs gathered at the 2010 Classic Le Mans. Very odd livery, but endearing nonetheless.

[e21Mark]

I'd love a set of those rims on my track car.

[toerag]

if ever a car sounded *German*, great stuff!

[goron59]

A BMW I like. Shame they don't make cars like that any more.

[coppice]

Because I am an old fart I am lucky enough to have seen these in action in period. The Pro Car series was the best one make racing I have ever seen and the sight of a full grid of these things barging in to the Old Hairpin at Donington (Gunnar Nilsson Trophy in 1978 I think)was not one to forget. And they were seriously quick.

[E60M5]

Here's another video of the same outing. More in-cockpit noise!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVkY8oA3RlE&lis...

[PaulG40]

OH. THE. NOISE!

[Neith]

Here's 10 minutes of M1 Procar...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcdIhrYvDx4

Watched this way too many times just for the noise!

[lazyitus]

Will ALWAYS dream of owning an M1.

Epic.

[lazyitus]

Neith said:

Here's 10 minutes of M1 Procar...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcdIhrYvDx4

Watched this way too many times just for the noise!

Mesmeric.

[RINGMEISTER]

The Prince was a busy boy at the wheel, looks like a bit of a handful, exactly how it should be! Soooo much want in "BASF" liverly

[Emley]

coppice said:

Because I am an old fart I am lucky enough to have seen these in action in period. The Pro Car series was the best one make racing I have ever seen and the sight of a full grid of these things barging in to the Old Hairpin at Donington (Gunnar Nilsson Trophy in 1978 I think)was not one to forget. And they were seriously quick.

I must be an old fart then as well, it was the Gunnar Nilsson Trophy.
The BMW works transporter got stuck under the old hairpin gantry when they arrived on the Thursday. The guy must have fancied a quick lap. They were epic, and had brilliant liveries.

They also supported the Grand Prix of the period, including Silverstone.
One lost an engine in practice on the Friday. They rebuilt it through the night and fired it up and gave it the beans in the early hours. It must have woke everyone camping in the centre, and most of Northants for that matter. Absolutely priceless.

An era when BMW's were interesting. But wasn't everything?

At that Gunnar memorial meeting was Fangio driving the Merc, Mario Andretti and the Brabham Fan car.
Happy days...

[e21Mark]

TWR also ran a few M1 around the same time as they did the BMW County Championship for the E21 323i.

This is a good watch and quite funny too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDHV6RQ9png

[MC Bodge]

That sounds like a proper car.

Is the noise piped through the stereo?

[e21Mark]

MC Bodge said:

That sounds like a proper car.

Is the noise piped through the stereo?