M Is For Motorsport

The ’70s were all about the wedge. It was the shape to have, whether it was haircuts, shoes or sleek, low-cut supercars that could cleave right through the air with minimal effort. Italian design houses Bertone, Giugiaro and Pininfarina took that idea to the extreme, while exotic car builders like Lotus, Ferrari and Lamborghini turned some of those dreams into …

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David S. Wallens said:

Now might be the time to buy one–assuming, of course, that you have the cash. 

The only reason I don't own one.   I've lusted after them ever since they were introduced.

stuart in mn wrote:

David S. Wallens said:

Now might be the time to buy one–assuming, of course, that you have the cash. 

 

The only reason I don't own one.   I've lusted after them ever since they were introduced.

There is a logical argument for you.

I've only ever been a passenger in one. Thrilling. The sound of the engine is unbelievable

"In March 1969, BMW and AMC signed a DM 1.5 million contract to test the quality of the Italian prototypes of the AMX 3 and verify its performance (among others, a target top speed of 160 MPH). Following standard protocol, BMW launched an internal development project and gave it the next sequential number – which made it E18. . . Giotto Bizzarrini remembered that the first AMX/3 prototype was delivered to BMW around June 1969. . . It is not clear at what point BMW had fulfilled its contractual obligation vis-à-vis American Motors. The last available test & development report, dated April 10, 1970, makes mention of the fact that a number of components could not be properly tested, “due to lack of test specimens / cancellation of the development program by AMX [probably a typo] as per [BMW] internal note dated January 7, 1970”. "

There's an awful lot more to this story BUT I've always wondered what impact the work that BMW did on the AMX 3 and what the experience with the Italian houses had on the M-1.

Check out a Pantera. Less money, Italian design, Ford power, and much fun.

Lovely cars that were never really affordable.

And your title makes me laugh at the irony. The last proper  'M' BMW was built back in 2008 in the E85/86 model (IMHO).

BMW owners tend to argue about the exact time the 'real' M cars stopped, but in any case BMW started capitalizing on the name by offering an 'M Package' on all sorts of non-motorsport oriented models that entailed far less work - mostly appearance and maybe some different wheels and tires.

A Beautiful dark blue m1 showed up today at a cars and coffee I was attending this morning... Didn't catch what year it was though..

Th styling aspect that I find most attractive is the small thin grilles at the front - especially now that BMW has gone in for the gaping shark look which I find so ugly that I would never own a car that looked like that.

The M1 shared that sort of nose with the E36 8 series (840s with the V8 and 850s with the V12). Handsome cars albeit perhaps a tad overweight.

One little known fact is that BMW started developing what would have been an M8 with a hopped up V12. See 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_8_Series_(E31)

Ironically, having failed to actually produce an M8, they called a new model by that name starting in 2019. so at least they got to use the name.

Which looks better to you, original 8 series or new M8?

In reply to ktisdale :

my closest was a mid-engine V8 Corvair...

work on a V6 MkI MR2 to begin...after 1.5 other projects.