BMW M1 Concept 2008
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2008 Bmw M1 Concept
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. 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. Spawning this development 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.
"For BMW, heritage is always also a living heritage. Drawing inspiration
from your own past and thereby reinventing yourself - that is exactly
what the BMW M1 Homage demonstrates in impressive style." Dr Klaus
Draeger, BMW Group Board Member, Development
A particular forte of BMW Group Design is to draw on its own powerful
history and actively feed this into the design of the future. The BMW M1
Homage is a design study in the tradition of a BMW Turbo that
represents a contemporary take on the BMW M1 and the mid-engine concept.
This tribute exhibits an emotional design that showcases technology
and integrates it into the overall aesthetics of the vehicle.
The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este provides the perfect backdrop for
the BMW M1 Homage. Here automotive beauties from the past meet the
concept cars and design studies of the future. It is in this dynamic
field of tension between past and present that the BMW Group Design team affords insights into its own perspective on a historically inspired automotive future.
Homage to the BMW M1
"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." Christopher E. Bangle, Director Design BMW Group
The BMW M1 was an utterly uncompromising super sports car oozing
passion; its forerunner, the BMW Turbo by Paul Bracq, displayed
innovative technical solutions that found their expression in emotional
design. It is precisely this blend - of technology and design,
rationality and passion - that the BMW M1 Homage embodies. It presents
an exciting and authentic interpretation of the BMW M1 and the
mid-engine concept from a present-day perspective, and the legacy of the
BMW M1 Homage is obvious at first glance. Unquestioningly it takes up
the graphic play of the hallmark BMW M1 colours black and orange and
interprets them anew. The Liquid Orange paintwork exclusively developed
for the BMW M1 Homage cites the classic BMW M1 colour, yet surprises
with its powerfully iridescent play of colour and brilliant depth. It
shapes the extrovert surface language and strikingly highlights the
eloquent 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 bonnet and the louvres on the rear
windscreen, as well as the black cutline dividing the roofline from the
rear section of the body. 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.
Emotional design at the flashpoint between tradition and modernism
The BMW M1 Homage takes long familiar elements from the BMW Design repertoire, reinterprets them and couches them in a new context. Its design brings together past and present,
expanding the observer's perception through new design solutions that
find their expression in typical BMW style. 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 and
exciting lines, surfaces and details to create an up-to-date
interpretation of the BMW M1, which remains to this day an
extraordinary car.
Shunning the strong wedge shape of other mid-engine cars, the BMW M1
Homage consciously opts for BMW's characteristic proportions. A
relatively long engine compartment, a clearly defined transition into
the A-pillar and a stretched window line featuring the "Hofmeister" kink
instantly give it away as a bona fide BMW. 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 sculpting of the surfaces demands
substantial experience and craftsmanship at the highest level. Only
through the combination of craft skills, state-of-the-art technology
and a sure sense of the personality of each BMW can designers and
modellers achieve the overall sculptural effect that lends a BMW its
unique character. The BMW M1 Homage systematically melds the
proportions and graphic themes of the BMW M1 with the surface language
of the new BMW look - a combination that imbues the vehicle with an
exciting, sporty and authentic emotionality.
The front-end styling of the BMW M1 Homage 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.
"Engineering is beautiful - let's show it!"
The overall design is driven by functionality and each detail has its
purpose. Aspects such as aerodynamics, cooling-air routing and safety
lend the BMW M1 Homage technical substance and make it a genuine BMW. A
telling symbol of this is the kidney grille design of the BMW M1
Homage, fulfilling as it does several functions at the same time. The
twin kidney isn't just a signature BMW feature, it is also part of the
car's honed aerodynamics: it 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." Adrian van Hooydonk, Director
Design BMW Automobiles
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. The
BMW M1 Homage pays eloquent tribute to the BMW Turbo and the BMW M1,
which in their design were well ahead of their time. Originally slated
as "merely" a design study or small series, their influence remains
very palpable today - 30 years on.