1980 BMW M1 - VIN: WB559910004301260
We know our M1s. And we know you’d have to travel all the way to the BMW Museum in Munich to find one as nice as this. We know, because the M1 in Munich was Bruce Canepa’s car. BMW hand built just 456 M1s, making it one of their rarest models. Of those, only 399 were built for the street. The rest were destined for racing.
Unfortunately, many owners drove their M1s as if they were on the track; they were ridden hard, put away wet, and often didn’t receive the TLC these exotic cars required. As a result, very few good M1s are left today. This is the best of them.
The car has a bit of a celebrity history. In 1980, an unknown singer from San Antonio suddenly found his career hitched to the tail of a comet. From out of nowhere his first album, self-titled “Christopher Cross,” rocketed to the top of the charts. At the 1980 Grammy Awards, Cross’s single, “Sailing,” walked off with awards for Best Record, Best Song, and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist. To cap off the evening, “Christopher Cross” took home the top Grammy for Album of the Year.
In a mood to celebrate, Christopher Cross went car shopping. He didn’t buy just one new BMW M1, he bought a pair: one in Hennarot Red, the other in white. The white M1 helped turn Cross into an enthusiast; he actually took race lessons in it from Danny Sullivan at Willow Springs. While it didn’t see a lot of miles under his ownership, the M1 did enjoy the best of care.
The M1 was BMW’s mid-engine supercar. Its 3.5 liter four valve, twin-cam inline six was good for 277 horsepower and 239 lb-ft of torque. The performance and handling were impressive, especially at speed. The handsome Giorgetto Giugiaro design successfully blended Teutonic and Italian machismo in a style that, 30 years later, still looks surprisingly current.
When Cross put the M1 up for sale in 1985, Jeff Zwart jumped on it. Zwart is a top automotive photographer, filmmaker and racer. He’s also a founding member of the hot rod Porsche R-Gruppe and a seven-time class winner at Pikes Peak. Appreciating the condition in which Cross kept the M1, he added it to his collection. In the Fall of ’99, Zwart sold the car to Steven Hansen in Wilmett, IL. Hansen kept the car through late 2006, then sold it to Northern California collector Christopher Provo. At the time the M1 had just over 22,000 miles on its clock.
In 2007, Provo sent the car to the BMW specialists at Casey Motorsports in Petaluma, CA for a thorough cosmetic and mechanical restoration. The engine was completely torn down, inspected, detailed and reassembled with factory gaskets and seals. The transmission was also disassembled, inspected and reassembled with new synchros. New clutch plates were installed, along with an NOS factory radiator and auxiliary fan.
Underneath, the entire suspension was disassembled, detailed and rebuilt with new bushings. The shocks were sent to Bilstein where they were re-valved and repainted to original factory spec. Even the brake calipers were disassembled, detailed, and refitted with modern, softer brake pads.
The body received special attention at Casey. In the engine bay, new heat seals were installed, along with a new trunk panel and the panel just aft of the rear window. Up front, the radiator bay was also stripped and detailed. The body then went to Brian Moore Restorations near Rancho Cordova where it was prepped and repainted the original factory white. At this point it was fitted with a proper set of Euro bumper panels and a new windshield.
Inside, NOS hounds-tooth fabric was tracked down and used in the restoration of the seats, door cards and headliner. NOS factory carpet and mats were also hunted down and installed. The dash was recovered in the correct, factory-spec leather, and fitted with an NOS factory Becker Mexico radio and speaker. Even the gear shift knob was restored to original.
The project was completed in the Spring of 2009 and Provo entered it in the Palo Alto Concours that June. The M1 took first in its class. He then went on to enter it in the San Francisco Presidio Concours in July, the Quail in August, and the Niello Concours in October. The M1 swept its class in all three outings.
The M1 is an iconic automobile. Designed by one of the world’s greatest automotive stylists and virtually built by hand, it launched BMW’s “M” motorsports division. This example is one of the finest in the world and we’re very proud to offer it. Like all the automobiles at Canepa Design, it’s been thoroughly assessed and detailed, both cosmetically and mechanically, to ensure it meets the expectations of collectors that drive their cars.
