Dubai: The legendary BMW M1 returns and it will be one of the most stunning debuts of this year's Dubai International Motor Show.
German car manufacturer BMW decided in 2008 to rebuild the M1, which originally was manufactured from 1978 to 1981. It was the only mid-engined BMW to be mass produced and had 273 horsepower in the street version, giving a top speed of 260 km/h.
The new — or "retro" — version features the same mid-engine layout and borrows styling cues from both the original M1 and the Turbo show car. Both cars were designed by Italian car design superstar Giorgio Giugiaro.
Similarities
It is wider, taller and wilder than the original, but sitting alongside the original, some similarities are clear.
They include the slats over the rear window and the front grille, although BMW has played down the M1 Concept's importance, claiming it is a design exercise celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first M1 hitting the roads.
Commenting on the attention-grabbing model Phil Horton, managing director of BMW Middle East said: "The BMW M1 was an utterly uncompromising super sports car which exuded passion. Its forerunner, the BMW Turbo by Paul Bracq, displayed innovative technical solutions that found their expression in emotional design".
The specifications of the car have not been released yet.
