Historic BMW M1 Pro Car driven in New Zealand January 2012
BMW celebrated its rich racing history with a display of three of its most treasured machines at Hampton Downs racetrack in New Zealand in January 2012. In this video we see Mike Eady driving an historic M1 Pro Car as part of BMW's display. The M1 Pro Car was entered in the Group 4 class at Le Mans in 1981 by '71 Le Mans winner and race team manager Helmut Marko. It was the fastest Group 4 qualifier, beating another M1 and two Porsches - a 934 and a 924 GTR - but retired during the race with crankshaft failure. Mike Eady said the gearbox ratios were set up for Le Mans-type circuits and were too tall for the tight Hampton Downs circuit. "The car's good for 320km/h, but not on this circuit." The unusual markings on the car promote the city of Munich (or Munchen) which is BMW's home town.
About BMW M1
The BMW M1 (model code E26) is a mid-engined sports car produced by German automotive manufacturer BMW from 1978 until 1981. In the late 1970s, Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini entered into an agreement with BMW to build a production racing car in sufficient quantity for homologation, but conflicts arose that prompted BMW to produce the car themselves. The resulting car was sold to the public, from 1978 until 1981, as the BMW M1. It was the first mid-engine BMW automobile to be mass-...
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