by BMW M bosses dream of a new supercar
For many years, BMW fans have been asking whether the company will ever return to the supercar segment with a true flagship in the spirit of the original M1. After all, competitors have not been idle. Audi built the R8 in two generations and recently revived the idea with the limited Nuvolari series, while Mercedes gave us the SLS AMG with gullwing doors and now sells the AMG GT. BMW has been watching all of this from the sidelines.
A dream without limits
Ask BMW M boss Frank van Meel what he would build with an unlimited budget, and the answer would be instantaneous. He wants a modern M1. He said this during the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans marathon, the same weekend BMW unveiled the M Concept Neue Klasse and gave everyone the first real look at the electric M3 arriving very soon.
“M1,” simply replied Heilmer, after which van Meel gave the same answer, noting that while he loves the original M1, he “would like to make a new one.”
The difficult path to realization
Achieving this is the hardest part. A new M1 must honor a name that carries decades of mythology and must find enough buyers to justify its existence, which is a more difficult task than the romance of the idea itself.
BMW also does not have the advantage of belonging to a larger automotive group, like Audi within the VW empire, meaning it would have to develop the car entirely on its own, using either a completely new powertrain or one borrowed from an existing model. A major reason Audi was able to launch the Nuvolari is that it shares its technical base with the Lamborghini Temerario, reducing development costs instead of designing a new engine and hybrid system from scratch.
Context and perspectives
During the event, van Meel and BMW M design boss Oliver Heilmer discussed in detail the importance of the new electric concept and how the company worked to make the car exciting to drive, and therefore worthy of the M badge. BMW Blog asked both men what their ideal M car would be if money were no object and if the board of directors approved it immediately. They gave the same answer.
It is worth noting that even if the dream of the M division bosses aligns, realizing such a project requires not only enthusiasm but also serious business justifications. The lack of a platform that can be shared with other brands makes developing a supercar significantly more expensive for BMW compared to its competitors. Therefore, while the idea of a new M1 looks attractive, its realization will depend on whether the company can find a cost-effective way to create a worthy successor to the legendary model that would become a true flagship for the M lineup.
