BMW – M1 (1981)

The name M1 is as short and practical as possible. It represents the first independent model by BMW Motorsport GmbH, a super sports car which wrote history in its time and today is a coveted collectible with just 453 vehicles having rolled out of the factory gates. The design by Giorgio Giugiaro reflects his supreme mastery of proportions and plays with a number of signature marque details, which often turned out differently on the M1 than was familiar from BMW. The illustrious 3.5 litre inline six-cylinder engine in the four-valve version was pressed into service as the power unit.

This propelled the M1 to the status of fastest and perhaps most sought-after production sports car from Germany for some time. The destiny of this particular example is therefore all the more incredible. Only six years ago, it was discovered in a Sicilian lock-up where it had been stored, forgotten and in obscurity, for more than three decades – enveloped in dust and dirt – but with only 7329 kilometres on the clock. Experts carefully brought this rare find back to life, strictly retaining as much of the original substance as possible.