On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the M1’s birthday (click here for pics of the original model), BMW surprised us with the unveiling of a mid-engine sportscar study at this weekend’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este (April 25-27, 2008). BMW’s homage to the M1 blends the edgy styling of the original model with modern design detailing like the rear-diffuser, the miniscule door mirrors and the absence of the visible door handles along with an extra-wide body. An interesting detail is the new grille which could find its way into production at some point.
In all, we like BMW’s re-interperation of the classic M1 a lot as it’s totally different than any other model in the Bavarian automaker’s line-up but at the same time, it’s clearly recognizable as a “BMW”. There are no pictures of the interior – to be honest, we don’t even know if the M1 Concept has one- and BMW’s sketchy German press release makes no reference to the car’s mechanical underpinnings.
The company’s execs refer to the M1 Concept as a pure study created to honor BMW’s past but, one never knows and if anything else, the Bavarian carmaker could do with a limited production version of this prototype as the ultimate -halo- driving machine. -20 High res images after the jump
