BMW M1 - 1981

In 1978, the M1 was created on the initiative of Jochen Neerpasch, director of BMW Motorsport, who was looking for a car to succeed the CSL 3.5 in Group 5 “silhouettes”, a category consisting of series-produced cars that could be modified to a certain extent and in which the Porsche 935 dominated. The project for a new mid-engined car was entrusted to specialists such as Gian Paolo Dallara for the chassis and Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign for the bodywork. Lamborghini took care of production, but stopped after only a few units, after which Italdesign and chassis builder Baur from Stuttgart took over the project.

Production of the 400 cars needed for homologation proved very slow. To solve the problem, Neerpasch created the Procar series, a one-make championship featuring F1 and Endurance drivers at the wheel of M1s leading up to Grand Prix races. Homologation was granted in 1981: the M1s were allowed to compete in the World Championship, which that year included a Drivers' title in addition to the Constructors' title, in Group 5 or Group 4 (for which modifications to the production model were more limited) and in IMSA events, in which the M1 had been competing since 1979, the year in which one car finished 6th overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

During FIA races, good placings and withdrawals due to technical problems alternated. Over the first few months, the BMW M1 Group 5 finished fourth in the 1,000 km of Monza with Dieter Quester and Teo Fabi, took second place in the 6 Hours of Silverstone with Derek Bell, Steve O'Rourke and David Hobbs, and won the 1,000 km Nürburgring with Hans-Joachim Stuck and Nelson Piquet. In Group 4, ex-Procars were among the most effective cars and even among the winners.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans hosts all these classes in order to be included in the FIA calendar as the eighth event in the World Drivers' Championship and the fifth in the World Manufacturers' Championship (which only validates a few races). In total, six M1s took part, one of which was in the IMSA GTX category and two others were entered in GT Group 4 (including the model entered by Helmut Marko, winner in 1971 with a Porsche 917), while the other three competed in Group 5.

The race was merciless for the Bavarian berlinettes, which had to retire due to engine problems. The only survivor was No. 51, entered by the Oreca team, supported by BMW's Italian and French subsidiaries and driven by rally driver Bernard Darniche, F1 driver Philippe Alliot and motorcyclist Johnny Cecotto, who would go on to have a brilliant career with BMW. After 278 laps, the trio crossed the finish line in 16th place, 77 laps behind the winning car, the Porsche 936 driven by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell.