BMW M Boss Wants a New M1 Supercar with a Mid-Mounted Engine, Head of Design Wants It Too

From 1978 to 1981, BMW offered the M1, but in the quarter-century since the mid-engine supercar went out of production, Bavaria has never offered a replacement, although it got close on more than one occasion. According to BMW Blog, the man in charge of go-faster Bimmers, BMW M CEO Frank van Meel, would love to change that, and his head of design would too. Speaking to the executives on the sidelines of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the publication asked them about the cars they dream of building, and van Meel responded, "I'm in love with the original M1, but I would love to do a new one." BMW M Head of Design Oliver Heilmer shared his enthusiasm for a revival of the moniker, but his response gives us a little more insight into just how seriously he and his colleagues toy with the idea.

BMW M Design Boss Says the Stars Need to Align

Of a successor to the E26, Heilmer said, "I must be honest, we are always dreaming about it. And maybe someday, we [will] find the right window of opportunity where we have the capacity to work on a car like that. And also, the company, BMW Group, says, 'Okay, go for it.' We never give up, I can promise you that, but actually it's not here yet." It sounds like BMW M's design department is constantly sketching out ideas for what the M1's true successor (forget about the XM) could look like, and according to the publication, BMW has come close at least twice. The BMW Vision M Next concept was reportedly scheduled to enter production before uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic and high development costs prematurely aborted a plug-in supercar's creation, and at one point, BMW was rumored to have been working on an all-electric supercar with over 1,200 horsepower.

Related: BMW Found a Way to Save Its M Six-Cylinder Without Going Hybrid

Given that the Neue Klasse platform is capable of 1,341 hp (atop which the Vision M Neue Klasse concept and the electric M3 it will spawn sit), making numbers on the dyno wouldn't have been a problem, but look at the sales struggles faced by the Rimac Nevera, and steering clear of an electric supercar was probably a smart move. However, that doesn't mean BMW M doesn't have something special in the pipeline for its most well-heeled customers.

BMW Is Working on a Dream Car

In July last year, Sylvia Neubauer, Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales at M, reportedly said that a small-series M car has passed approval, and although details were slim, the vehicle is said to be a "dream car" that will be "for collectors." BMW succeeded with the 3.0 CSL as a limited-run, six-figure collector car, and it's since also seen resounding success with the Skytop and Speedtop. Perhaps this new "dream car" will be the final piece of vindication BMW needs to approve the costly development of a new supercar. With the S58 engine gaining pre-chamber ignition to keep it legal for the coming years, sometime between now and the end of the decade might be the perfect window to produce a six-cylinder supercar once again.

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