The M1 was the first major project for BMW's Motorsports division, hence the name "M1". Giorgio Giugiaro of Ital design finalised the styling of the car while much of the engineering work was carried out by Lamborghini. Lamborghini were also due to manufacture the car on the behalf of BMW, but the troubled Italian car maker went broke in the late 1970s and consequently the car was built by German coachbuilder Baur for BMW.
The intention was to race the car in sports car racing against rivals from Ford, Porsche and others, but not enough road going cars were made in time to homologate the M1, so instead BMW raced it in a one make series. In conjunction with FOCA (the Formula One Constructors Association) the Procar series of M1 only races supported the Grand Prix seasons in 1979 and 1980 (and in 1980 there were a number of stand alone M1 races held apart from Formula 1). Each race saw a grid of race prepared M1s driven by a mix of celebrity drivers and the top Formula One drivers of the time. The attrition rate in each Procar race was high as there was a substantial cash prize for a race win and of course the pride of the drivers involved was at stake!
The car this model represents was driven in the second half of the 1980 Procar series by Hans Stuck Jnr., son of the pre-war Auto Union driver of the same name. He was runner up to Niki Lauda in 1979, with two Procar wins to his name in the final two rounds of the '79 series, at Zandvoort and Monza. In the 1980 season, he finished 3rd overall behind Nelson Piquet in 1st place and Alan Jones in 2nd. He won the 3rd and 4th rounds at Monaco and the Norisring respectively, but not in the BASF sponsored M1. He drove a Project Four/Valvoline sponsored M1 in the first 5 out of 9 races in total (and in fact missed the 2nd race of the season at the Avus circuit in Germany). The No.80 BASF sponsored M1 was driven for the first half of the season by another racing driver called Hans-Georg Berger whose best result was second place in the 2nd round at Avus. From the 6th round at Hockenheim he was replaced by Hans Stuck.
Stuck Jnr. never managed to win a Grand Prix, but he did manage to win LeMans in 1986 and '87, and was very successful in the European Touring car scene.
In total, 457 road and race M1s were made between 1978 and 1980, and all were left hand drive. The engine was a 3.5 litre straight six producing 277bhp in roadgoing tune (considerably more in race versions), mounted in a mid engined configuration driving the rear wheels. Top speed was 162mph and 0-60mph took 5.4 seconds.
The M1 had a great driving position and was considered a lovely car to drive. The interior was plain but well made, and unlike many of it's Italian contemporary rivals, the heating and ventilation worked well. Today it remains one of the most desirable BMWs ever made and commands high prices on the classic car market.
This "BASF" version of the racing M1 was the first released by Minichamps as part of a new series. I had some difficulty in tracking one down as they sold out quickly and are now hard to find. To date (March 2007) a road version has not been released, but hopefully one will be in due course. The "BASF" (a cassette maker) logo I personally think looks superb! The engine bay is nicely detailed, and the large race wheels and tires look great. The interior is very plain, but this is the case with the real car. One disappointment is that the front bonnet does not open, which would have been a nice touch.
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