Bmw M1 Homage
To mark the 30th anniversary of the BMW M1 super sports car, BMW Group Design is presenting a homage to this legendary model as part of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2008.
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The M1 Homage offers an interpretation of the BMW M1 and the mid-engine concept from a present-day perspective.
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BMW Turbo Concept by Paul Braq (1972) - Source: BMWinfo.com
The BMW M1 designed by Giorgio Giugiaro was a car of superlatives and a highly emotive vehicle that was uncompromisingly primed for the race track.
The BMW M1 was an utterly uncompromising super sports car oozing passion.
Its forerunner was the BMW Turbo by Paul Bracq, a revolutionary concept car which, in addition to its groundbreaking functional design, also boasted a raft of technical innovations.
"It is from these two unique vehicles that the BMW M1 Homage takes its cue – a design study that pays tribute to its forerunner models and an embodiment of the competence, creativity and potential of the BMW Group Design team."
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| The BMW M1 (1978-1981) | From left: BMW M1 Homage, M1 and Turbo Concept |
Design
“For a company as for a product, it is important to be aware of one’s roots. In the spirit of Giugiaro and Bracq, the BMW M1 Homage unites the BMW values of design and technology in a highly emotional and exciting interpretation.” said Christopher E. Bangle, Director Design BMW Group.
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The Liquid Orange paintwork exclusively developed for the BMW M1 Homage cites the classic BMW M1 colour and features a powerfully iridescent play of colour and brilliant depth. It shapes the extrovert surface language and highlights the interplay of convex and concave surfaces.
Mention the BMW M1, and another feature that immediately springs to mind is the characteristic twin logo at the rear, on the right and left edge above the tail lights.
For BMW, this particular arrangement of its emblems has always signalled a mid-engined model.
In the development stage of the BMW M1 this dual emblem was the first styling element to be approved even before the initial sketches were drawn.
Likewise, it was confirmed from the outset that the BMW M1 Homage would feature the same twin badges.
Other specific styling cues taken from the BMW M1 are the air vents in the hood and the louvres on the rear windscreen, as well as the black cutline dividing the roofline from the rear section of the body.
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Overall, the exterior dimensions of the BMW M1 Homage are in keeping with those of the BMW M1; only the extended wheelbase indicates a larger passenger cell.
"The BMW M1 Homage takes long familiar elements from the BMW Design repertoire, reinterprets them and couches them in a new context."
If the contrasting colours were a dominant design theme for the BMW M1, this contrast is perpetuated in the BMW M1 Homage through its surface styling.
Familiar elements, such as the trademark proportions, are combined with new lines, surfaces and details to create an up-to-date interpretation of the BMW M1.
Shunning the strong wedge shape of other mid-engine cars, the BMW M1 Homage adopts BMW’s characteristic proportions, with a relatively long engine compartment, a clearly defined transition into the A-pillar and a stretched window line featuring the “Hofmeister” kink.
The horizontal flow of lines lowers the car’s visual centre of gravity and lends it an air of sovereignty.
Though the BMW M1 already boasted extremely harmonious and sporty proportions, its surface design was not yet an explicit styling issue and was dominated by high-contrast graphic themes.
"Today, however, next to the car’s proportions, it is primarily the unusual surface styling that determines the strong recognition value of a BMW model. For some years now, all BMW vehicles have exhibited a striking and unique design language."
The BMW M1 Homage systematically melds the proportions and graphic themes of the BMW M1 with the surface language of the new BMW look.
The front-end styling adopts many of the graphic design themes of the BMW M1: the contrast between the black, recessed surfaces and the car colour, the small, squat kidney grille and the “invisible” headlamps. And yet the front of the BMW M1 Homage is an absolute novelty for BMW.
Each element assumes a function: the hallmark twin kidney, for example, is not only a distinguishing feature of the BMW brand but combines aerodynamic, cooling-air routing and safety solutions.
The design of the headlamps, meanwhile, is a new iteration of the retractable headlights of the BMW M1.
Like the lamps on the historic model, those on the BMW M1 Homage are only visible when switched on.
When not in use they are discreetly integrated into the front-end design and “disappear” into the recessed black cutline, almost like pop-up headlights.
Along the side of the car all the lines, surfaces and details lead the eye from the front end along the stretched engine compartment and clearly defined A-pillars before converging at the centre of the vehicle.
Two expressive lines are drawn from the front along the flanks of the vehicle towards the engine compartment area.
The flow of lines begins in a straight, disciplined fashion at the front end, lowering the optical centre of gravity of the BMW M1 Homage and highlighting its low-slung stance. From the middle of the car, however, the lines break up.
The power of the design is focused precisely where the power of the vehicle also lies – at the engine. Strong, sensuous sweeping lines accentuate the car’s mid-engine concept, the design emphasising the mechanics behind it, the engineering skills and the engine expertise of the BMW Group.
The roofline of the BMW M1 Homage is flatly tapered, extending into and around the rear. In so doing it draws a continuous line and forms a link between the two sides of the car. It is on this line, above the tail lights, that the hallmark twin BMW logo can also be found.
The kidney grille design of the BMW M1 Homage isn’t just a signature BMW feature, it also guides the air to the engine cooling as well as constituting the front section of a crash box, similar to the monocoque chassis of a Formula One race car.
Inspired by aircraft design, the car as a whole also boasts sophisticated air ducting through the body. For example, the cooling-air routing for the engine is positioned below the roofline, in the black recessed cutline along the side of the vehicle behind the window graphic. Small flaps and openings guide the air stream into the engine compartment to ensure an adequate supply of cooling air.
Vision and inspiration.
“The BMW M1 Homage clearly manifests the creativity and potential of the BMW Design team. A project such as this is a valuable source of inspiration for our day-to-day work.” said Adrian van Hooydonk, Director Design BMW Automobiles.
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The BMW M1 Homage holds great significance for the BMW Group Design team, its genesis epitomising both a living tradition and an innovative future: "This vehicle is designed as a source of inspiration; it sets out to challenge us to question and rethink what we see around us."
(Source: BMW)
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