Last weekend’s presentation of the BMW M1 Homage Concept (see here) prompted us to perform a search on the original M1’s history and in particular, its racing heritage. Our hunt led us to the discovery of two, nostalgic late-1970’s videos of the M1 Procar racing version, one from the Procar Series in Monaco and another one with the M1 lapping the famous Nurburgring race track.
The peppy M1 Procar edition featured among other things, a modified version of the M88 6-cylinder unit with new camshafts, larger valves, forged pistons, optimized flow ducts, slides instead of throttle butterflies and a modified exhaust system boosting, all of which helped boost output to 470–490 Hp. Weighing in at a mere 1,020 kg or 2,248 lbs, the M1 Procar had a top speed of approximately 310 km/h (192 mph). –Video after the jump