1979 BMW E26 M1 Coupe

The BMW M1 was produced in limited numbers from 1978 to 1981. It was essentially a homologation special that was virtually hand-built. It had a tube frame and a 24 valve, fuel-injected 277 horsepower engine with six separate throttle butterflies, four valves per cylinder.

The M1 was designed by ItalDesign's Guigiaro. BMW had originally commissioned Lamborghini to work out the details of the car's chassis, assemble prototypes, and manufacture the vehicle. BMW would later resume control over the project in April 1978, after Lamborghini's financial position meant they were unable to proceed with the project.

Commissioned by mid-eastern royalty, and shipped back to Munich, this car was converted into a street-legal pro-car. It is a well-documented car with many interesting features.

In 2007 this 1979 BMW M1 was brought to the Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction presented by RM Auctions, where it had an estimated value of $120,000 - $140,000. It is powered by a 3.5-liter twin-cam six-cylinder engine rated at 277 horsepower. There are a five-speed manual transmission and four-wheel vented disc brakes.

There were a total of 456 examples of the M1 created; 41 road-going examples were created in 1979 (38 Race versions). In 1980, there were 188 cars produced with 178 being road-going examples - 10 were race versions. For 1981, there were 188 cars built with only eight being race versions.

This example is of those 41 road-going cars created in 1979. It was delivered in 1980 by Styling Garage Spezialkarosserien of Hamburg featuring many aesthetic upgrades to bring it in line with the racing versions of the M1. Its first owner was the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani. It was sent back to Germany in the 1980s and then to the US shortly thereafter.

This car features BBS wheels, extensive bodywork finished in the typical blue and red BMW racing striping, white leather interior, and matching red, white, and black patterns.

At the auction, the estimated value proved to be accurate as the lot was sold for $121,000 including buyer's premium.

In 2009, this M1 Sport Coupe was offered for sale at the Houston Classic Auction presented by Worldwide Auctioneers and held in Seabrook, Texas. The lot was estimates to sell for $90,000 - $120,000. Bidding reached $70,000 but was not enough to satisfy the reserve.