BMW Is Open About Its Support For Bringing The Legendary M1 Back To life

Although the legendary BMW M1 was only around for a few short years, its impact was huge. It’s been almost half a century since the mid-engined, wedge-shaped supercar went into production, but it seems to be a model that’s still on the minds of today’s BMW executives. Namely, the head of the BMW M department stated that he would like to build a new M1.

“I’m in love with the original M1, but I’d like to build a new one,” Frank van Meel, head of BMW M, told BMWBlog. Similar views were expressed for the same publication by Oliver Heilmer, head of design in the M department.

Although BMW has never produced a direct successor to the M1, the company has considered it on several occasions. They came closest to realization with the Vision M Next concept from 2019. According to author and BMW historian Steve Saxty, it was a 600-horsepower, four-cylinder hybrid supercar that was “95 percent complete”.

The manufacturer planned to launch that car around 2022. Instead, BMW diverted resources to the XM crossover, which was then promoted as the spiritual successor to the M1.

However, the XM did not achieve the success BMW had hoped for. For 2026, the company discontinued the basic version and lowered the price of the XM Black Label model.

Despite the wishes of the bosses, it is unlikely that such a car will arrive soon. Developing a mid-engined supercar would require massive investment at a time when the future of the automotive industry is highly uncertain. Investing so much money in a low-volume model doesn’t make business sense right now.

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