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      11-09-2019, 03:39 AM   #18
Law
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Quote:
Originally Posted by j1980mac View Post
I never got the point of an M1.
The thing about the BMW M1 was that it was one of those failures that ends up becoming a pivotal and defining moment in the timeline of BMW M.
In that sense, it's probably one of the most successful failures.

BMW's original goal with the M1 was to develop & enter a formidable competitor from the ground up for Group 4 and Group 5 homologation.
Needless to say, the M1 never got to race in any competitive series save for BMW's own ProCar Series, which was really BMW's way of making lemonade out of lemons.

At the end of all that, BMW M was left with an entire catalog of parts.
The M88/1 engine in the M1 was ultimately descended from the M49 of the E9 race cars.
The M1 was the first to bear the now famed [and overused] ///M badge.

So what does BMW do with all the leftover pieces? They went back to doing what they did best since the launch of the Neue Klasse, building production passenger cars that were sporty and fun to drive.

Except this time, equipped with the prowess, tooling, drawings, and perhaps some surplus parts/ideas from the Motorsport division, BMW would create an entirely new segment in the automotive world and establish itself as the undisputed leader of sport sedans.



The M88 engine, which itself would later be further developed and become the S38 family of engines, would continue to power entire generations of BMW M cars, directly (E24 M, E28 M, E34 M) and indirectly (E30 M S14 cyl head) well into the 1990s.
And that humble little ///M badge, would go on to achieve universal recognition.

So despite the fact that the M1 completely failed to accomplish its goal, its legacy and the bloodline that descended from it is legendary to say the least.



James May explained it quite well during one of the older Top Gear episodes.
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