Video Tour of the Unmade BMW M Cars Including the M3 Tourer and Compact, Ur-Roadster and M5 Cabriolet

It is by far, the most sacred place for a BMW M fan. We’re talking about the BMW M Division’s underground facility where the company stores copies of all the production cars and prototypes it has ever built, including a variety of never before seen in public vehicles. In a surprising but much welcomed move, the German automaker recently opened the doors of the special M garage to the members of the press and select enthusiasts revealing an array of models that most had only heard about. We already brought you a video of the wild M8 Coupe with the 580-horsepower V12 engine that was eventually used on the McLaren F1, but now we have several videos showcasing the entire lineup of M cars.
These include the E46 M3 Touring (BMW for station wagon), the E36 M3 Compact powered by the same 321HP straight-six from the M3 Coupe of the time, the E34 M5 Cabriolet with open-top seating for four, an M3 powered E30 ute and possibly the strangest creation yet, the so called Ur-Roadster. The latter is said to have been developed after the Z1 with power being delivered by the E30 M3’s 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine.
Check out all of the cars in the videos below.

Sources: M5Board, Bimmerpost and Car

VIDEO

From Norway with Love: BMW 1M Hatchback Packs M3 Coupe’s 4.0-liter V8 with 435 Ponies

If BMW’s upcoming, limited production 1-Series M Coupe with its 335Hp 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six doesn’t tickle your fancy, you may want to take a look at this custom made 1-Series 5-door hatchback that’s being offered for sale in Norway.

This particular Bavarian hatch sports a modified version of the E92 BMW M3 Coupe’s 4.0-liter V8 engine tweaked to produce 435-horsepower, or 100 more ponies than the normal 1-Series M Coupe. The car also gets the M3’s gearbox, differential and brakes, plus a Bilstein sports suspension, a BMW performance exhaust system and 19-inch BBS alloy wheels in 235 tires up front and 265 at the back.

On the outside, the 1-Series M Hatch gains an M Sport aero package with bespoke front and rear bumpers, an AC Schnitzer lower front apron and roof spoiler, and BMW Performance stripes and carbon fiber rear diffuser.

Interior mods include a variety of BMW Performance goodies such as the alcantara-dressed bucket seats and sports steering wheel, M Sport instrument panel and more.

The price in Norway for the 2005MY-based 1-Series M Hatch is set at a whopping 749,000 Kr, which comes to about US$135,600 or €96,000.

Source: Finn via Vwvortex

PHOTO GALLERY

Italdesign’s Cool BMW Nazca M12 Concept Could be Yours for $1.1 million

One of the most memorable concept models from the decade that brought us grunge, the internet, Playstation and the Prius, is Italdesign’s series of BMW Nazca supercar studies. Designed by the great Giorgetto Giugiaro who was also responsible for BMW’s production M1 sports car, the Nazca M12 made its debut in 1991 and was followed in by a more hardcore version called the Nazca C2 in 1992 and an open-top Spider C2 model in 1993.

Now, one of the Nazca concepts has been put up for sale by a dealer located in the Czech Republic. The car seen here is based on the body of the 1991 Nazca M12 but features an Alpina-prepped 5.7-liter V12 engine (sourced from the 750i / 850i of the era) producing 379HP.

According to official data we found on Italdesign, the original M12 coupe was powered by the 850i’s stock 5.0-liter V12 with 300HP, while the C2 Coupe featured an Alpina-tuned V12 with 350HP, and the C2 Spider, the 850CSi’s 380HP 5.7-liter V12.

A possible explanation is that Italdesign may have produced more than one prototypes of each version (which could also explain the 1993MY on the dealer's description), or perhaps the Italians tried out a different engine to convince BMW to produce the Nazca supercar.

Either way, we assume that whoever is interested in paying the full asking price of €725,000 or close to US$1.1 million for the blue-colored Nazca M12 will come in contact with Italdesign before shelling out such a sizable sum.

Hat tip to Matt! Source: Mobile via Gtspirit

PHOTO GALLERY

_______________________________________________________________________

ITALDESIGN NAZCA M12, C2 & C2 SPIDER

Barely Driven BMW M1 with Less than 3,000 Miles on the Odo up for Sale on eBay

Today’s eBay find brings us a seemingly immaculate BMW M1 from 1980 that’s offered up for an undisclosed price. One of 455 (albeit some bring this number down to 451) examples ever built, this one is finished in a classic red hue with a black interior. Claimed to be in original condition, the seller says it has been driver a mere 4,418 kilometers or 2,747 miles since it left the Bavarian automaker’s factory some 31 years ago.

According to the eBay listing, the M1 was “garaged for all of its life and pampered” in a German private residence, before it was imported in the U.S. having surpassed the 25-year age requirement. At the time we wrote this article, the current bid on the car was US$130,500, but the reserve had not been met.

The M1 came to life in 1978 at the Paris Motor Show as the M divisions first ever creation. Designed by the famous Giorgetto Giugiaro and developed in association with Lamborghini, the M1 was initially intended for the racetrack, but BMW produced a limited run of street-legal models. These were all powered by a mid-mounted naturally aspirated 3.5-liter straight-six delivering 277-horses, and hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox. The M1 could reach a top speed of 260 km/h or 162 mph.

Garaged for all of its life and pampered in Europe specifically in a German private residence and recently imported

Link: eBay

PHOTO GALLERY