BMW’s M1 is lengendary. And whaddya know, here’s a $725k one.
This one seems to have a good story:
This BMW M1 began its life with a single Bay Area family and has remained in their possession since new. Importing the car from Germany from new was John Davila. During his life, John owned a total of three M1s and was very much in love with the style and design of the M1. Of the three cars, two came to him in orange and the other in blue. This example he drove for a few years when he first acquired the car before deciding to do a comprehensive and very detailed color change to white. Among all of the cars that John owned and drove over the years, this M1 was the car that he kept.
In the early 1990s John passed away, leaving his prized M1 to his two sons who inherited his passion and love for automobiles. Wanting to keep one of the fondest lasting memories of their late father, the family stored the car in the Bay Area and it would remain this way until early 2010. Upon exiting its storage, it was completely serviced to bring it to running condition so the two brothers could enjoy the car. Both of the brothers described being able to drive the car allows them to experience their memories again of their father and all of the fun times they had together in the M1.
In 2017 the car was given a comprehensive service by Canepa that included repairs, maintenance, and preservation restoration that included work on the wiring harness, alternator, fuel system, suspension bushings, and brakes. The M1 was also given a sympathetic preservation of the interior, using new carpets and new correct OE cloth inserts in the seats while preserving all of the original black leather.
In 2019 it returned to Canepa to complete all of its mechanical servicing and refurbishment, restoring all of the mechanical systems as needed. The car was treated to a full “Canepa Difference” experience, with all systems on the car inspected to be working in correct order. Items that were addressed included: restoring the entire exhaust system, refinishing all four wheel’s finishes and new tires, a comprehensive engine tune up, engine reseal, new coolant hoses, new injection pump belt, exhaust gaskets, engine lid struts, air conditioning service, plug wire set, and all fluids changed. It was then given a complete concours-level detail, ensuring that every surface was pristine. The white paint was polished using only a foam pad and polish, needing very little work to be brought to showroom standards. In all, an investment of over $125,000 was put into this incredible M1 to bring this car up to a concours preservation-quality car.
Only 453 M1’s were ever produced from 1978 to 1981. I’m not that excited about this one having a color change, but given its pedigree and the money that has been spent on it, I wouldn’t doubt it was done correctly, with no expenses spared.
They have about 275 hp out of the 3.5L inline six-cylinder. With six individual throttle bodies, a 2900 lb curb weight, and a 162 mph top speed, they are not boring cars by any means. They are so rare, they are uber-exotic.
This particular one has 22 days left on the auction. I would be surprised if it fetches $725k. That’s a lot of cashola. But then again, they don’t exactly make these any more. It’s funny that the ad is so bare-bones. I think it might be one of ebay’s “basic” ads, with just a few photos attached. Maybe the outfit selling the car figures anyone who is going to drop three-quarters of a mill on it is almost certain to fly into Scott’s Valley California to see it in person, so maybe the ad is superfluous?
