1980 BMW E26 M1 Sports Coupe

The BMW M1 has a reputation for being the most exotic street car ever built by the company. The cars were virtually hand-built and a limited-production supercar that was essentially a homologation special. They had a tube frame and utilized state-of-the-art technology underneath the Giugiaro-designed body. The road-going M1 was built on the race-spec chassis. They were given unequal-length lateral links, alloy uprights, concentric coil springs, and anti-roll bars in the front and rear. Just 456 examples were built, including a number of race-prepared cars for rallying and the BMW M1 Procar Championship.

BMW Motorsport planned to build enough M1 examples to comply with regulations for Group 5 competition. The Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), however, changed the rules and required a minimum of 400 examples be built to meet Group 4 regulations before the car could be homologated for Group 5. BMW was left with few options and rather than delay their racing program, they decided to create a one-make series while they continued further development. In the spring of 1978, they announced the Procar Championship, along with the official unveiling of the M1 road car.

The Procar Series lasted from 1979 to 1980. In 1982, after the series ended and production for the M1 was completed, Peter Gartemann, the president and owner of the German BMW dealer AHG, created a limited-design study that was based on the look of the Procar M1s but was intended for the street. This option involved having the AHG Motorsport division take an owner's standard road-going M1 and transform it into the Procar-style street fighter.

The AHG M1 Studie cars received an adjustable racing suspension and three-piece 16-inch BBS wheels, which were 8-inches wide up front and 9-inches wide at the rear. The engine was uprated to 350 horsepower and mated to a special racing clutch and a new exhaust system. The interior was given leather and the stereo system was enhanced with additional speakers. AHG also commissioned the German paint shop of Hermann Altmiks to finish each M1 in a unique scheme per the customer's request.

This car, chassis number 4301090, was built in 1979 and delivered on August 30 to BMW dealer Schneider in Bielefeld, Germany. The original color was White (206). The early history is not known; what is known is that it was given the M1 Studie package. The modifications were TUV-certified in Germany though they required extensive testing and approvals, which only added to the cost of development. Allegedly, it was the rear spoiler that was the costliest part to get approved. Due to the cost and limited nature of the AHG package, it is believed that just ten such examples were created.

This particular AHG Studie is finished in the BMW Motorsport livery. It was once part of the Ed Weaver Collection in Dalton, Georgia, where it resided until 1995. In 2011, it joined the collection of Don Davis. A short time later, it was acquired by the AE Collection in Burbank, California.

Currently, the car shows less than 7,000 kilometers on its odometer. It has the AHG M1 markings throughout the body, and the original 'altmiks lackdesign' signature is painted just below the taillight. The M88 dual overhead cam six-cylinder engine is fitted with Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection and produces 350 horsepower. There is a five-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel disc brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2014