For a company that calls itself a purveyor of ‘ultimate driving machines’, it hasn’t much form in the supercar arena. However, its one real entry is one hell of an effort. The ’70s M1 was a mid-engined brute that mixed a mid-engine straight six with scintillating looks and a razor-sharp drive. Twenty years on, and BMW is considering launching a Mk2 in the shape of the Hommage concept shown earlier in summer 2008.
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Make and model
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Year
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Price
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Engine
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0-60mph
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Top speed
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BMW M1
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1978
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£26,810
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3453cc straight six, 277bhp, 239lb ft
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5.8sec
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161mph
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 |
For:
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Spawned the Procar F1 support races: often better than
the main event
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Against:
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‘Only’ 277bhp in road trim
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Verdict:
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There’s been a supercar-shaped hole in BMW’s range ever since
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BMW’s only mid-engined supercar nearly never happened: Lamborghini was asked to develop it, then almost went bust. Built in tiny numbers (fewer than 500) but the glorious straight-six lived on in the first M5 and M6.
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