With solely 460 items ever made, BMW’s sole supercar doesn’t come up on the market fairly often. The road-legal M1 is rarer than hen’s enamel, as solely 397 road-registered vehicles have been manually assembled by specialist contractor Baur within the late Seventies and early Nineteen Eighties. A kind of E26s had a very well-known proprietor, Niki Lauda, and it’s about to hit the market.
At its Kissimmee 2026 sale on January 17, Mecum will public sale an M1 initially owned by the legendary Austrian racer. Lauda didn’t truly purchase it. He earned it as a prize on the finish of the inaugural BMW M1 Procar Championship season. Regardless of retiring from three of the eight races, he nonetheless completed the season with probably the most factors, edging out one other icon, Hans-Joachim Caught.
The trophy automobile has lined solely 20,350 kilometers (12,644 miles) and stays in glorious situation. Completed in white with hand-painted M stripes, it additionally carries the signature of Art Car collaborator and artist Walter Maurer. The automobile was imported to america in 1987 and later appeared on the 2017 Hillsborough Concours d’Class in California.
As if M1s weren’t particular sufficient, Lauda’s instance additionally options the uncommon Procar-style entrance air dam. Mecum notes that it advantages from a “extremely detailed undercarriage” and comes with a service historical past. The blue inside consists of niceties reminiscent of air con, energy home windows, and a Becker Europa stereo.
There’s no estimate but, however count on it to command severe cash. In early 2024, an M1 with 20,235 km (12,573 miles) offered on Convey a Trailer for $552,000. A 12 months earlier, Gooding moved a good lower-mileage instance for $478,000. Given its well-known first proprietor, sturdy mechanical situation, and uncommon spec, Lauda’s M1 may promote for considerably extra.
Be aware: The connected photographs present Niki Lauda driving the BMW M1 Procar and BMW’s personal M1, respectively. Images of the particular automobile on the market can be found on the supply hyperlink under.
Supply: Mecum
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