The only model from the German brand to be classified as super sports, the BMW M1 had a short but impactful story. The reasons for the existence of an M1 go back to BMW's willingness to compete in Group 5 at the WSC (World Sportscar Champioship) in the late 70s.
If there is a car that can be considered a special homologation, it is without a doubt the BMW M1. But it would not be approved for Group 5 as intended. Changes in regulations forced the brand to build 400 units as Group 4 first, and only then could they “take the leap” to Group 5 approval.
Finally, in circuit
Instead of postponing its entry into the competition, BMW anticipated it, without waiting for the construction of the 400 units, by creating its own championship: the BMW M1 Procar Champioship . It was a single-brand trophy, which brought together drivers from various disciplines — Formula 1, Tours, GT — and put them behind the wheel of a BMW M1 duly prepared for the circuit.
The BMW M1's sharp lines — conceived by Giorgetto Giugiaro, influenced by the 1972 Turbo concept — have been expertly “muscled” to serve on the circuit. Broader, lower and with the necessary aerodynamic paraphernalia, they gave the M1 an appearance that clearly expressed its purposes as a circuit-eating machine — it would make a lasting impression…
The Procar championship had only two seasons (1979 and 1980) and the production of the BMW M1 would end in 1981, with approximately 460 units produced , 20 of which are destined for the Procar championship. The history of the BMW M1 AHG Studie begins precisely with the end of the M1's short career.
FOLLOW US ON YOUTUBE Subscribe to our channel
What if there was an M1 Procar for the road?
It's time to meet Peter Gartemann, the president and owner of AHG, the German distributor for BMW. Inspired by the fantastic M1 Procars, it was he who had the original idea to create a design study for the M1 based on the look of circuit Procars.
Wider and with the "mother" of all exhausts.
To do so, it implied that the group's AHG Motorsport division would take a (rare) M1 and turn it into a machine similar to the M1 Procar. If the modifications are evident on the outside — widened wheel arches, rear wing and specific wheels — there were deeper ones beyond the look.
The BMW M1 AHG Studie received adjustable competition suspension, new 16-inch wheels from the BBS — 8" wide at the front and 9" at the rear —, and the 3.5-liter M88 inline six-cylinder saw its power rise from the original 277 hp to a more exciting 350 hp . The clutch was also replaced by a competition one, as well as the exhaust system was replaced by another one with renewed sound arguments.
It was still a road car, so the interior kept all the comforts possible. Leather casings were plentiful and the sound system was upgraded from the standard with additional speakers.
Interior maintained the comfort levels needed to be used on the road.
rarer than Procar
As you can imagine, this transformation was not cheap. In addition to having an M1 and paying for its transformation, the customer had to pay for the TÜV certification process to be able to travel on the road, which even involved a series of tests.In order to make them even more special, each of the BMW M1 AHG Studie made features a unique paint scheme, carried out by the renowned Hermann Altmiks paintshop.
In total, it is estimated that only 10 units have received the "treatment" AHG Studie — numbers lower than the Procar, the circuit car — and this one that is now on sale is the first of them all, belonging to Peter Gartemann, which stands out for its truly unique paintwork.
Rarity adds value
If the BMW M1 is rare, the AHG Studie edition is not even talked about. And when it comes to the car that belonged to the author who gave rise to this rare edition, as you can imagine, the value reaches stratospheric levels. This unit underwent a restoration in 2017, which was completed this year, having covered only 50 km since then — the kilometer count marks approximately 34,000 kilometers.
The price to pay for this unique car is $930,000 or approximately 760,000 euros and is for sale at Hemmings.
Rims are by BBS