BMW’s rear-wheel-drive sports car produced from 1978 to 1981 was the BMW M1.
The M1, internally designated E26, was BMW Motorsport’s first—and only—production supercar. It was developed as a mid-engined racing car for Group 4 homologation, requiring BMW to build road-going examples that could support its competition program. Its layout combined a longitudinal mid-mounted engine with rear-wheel drive.
The project initially involved Lamborghini, which was expected to help engineer and assemble the car. Financial problems at Lamborghini disrupted the arrangement, so BMW took control of the program in 1978. The tubular-steel chassis was engineered with help from Gianpaolo Dallara, the wedge-shaped fiberglass body was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro, and final assembly was completed by Baur in Germany.
The M1 used a 3.5-litre M88 inline-six rather than a V8 or V12. Only 453 production cars were built, including road cars and racing versions, making it one of BMW’s rarest models. The 3.0 CSL was an earlier racing-derived coupe, while the 850CSi and Z1 belonged to later BMW families.