1979' BMW M1 Xp2

* FOR SALE* BMW M1 XP2 // CHASSIS NO. 2 // OLDEST SURVIVING M1 // PROJECT FOUR - RON DENNIS OWNED FROM NEW
EQUIPMENT
3. 5 Straight Six, 5 Speed Dogleg Gearbox, Dark Blue Exterior, Air-conditioning, Electric Windows, Electric Wing Mirrors, Adjustable Seats, Campagnolo 16? Wheels, Vented Brake Disc’s, Ceiling Mounted Hi-Spec period Aftermarket Radio And Cassette With Upgraded Pioneer Speakers.
EXTERIOR
Resplendent in Dark blue this M1 does not disappoint. Every bit the homologation race car the lines are low, sleek and designed for purpose. With its small BMW kidney grille the wedge shape is iconic and instantly recognisable to its race car sibling and the multitude of images and videos from the Procar series. The shape of which was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, taking inspiration from the 1972 BMW Turbo concept car and made entirely of fiberglass over a tubular steel frame chassis.
Having lived two lives first finished in White as BMWs test car it was rebuilt in 1980 by Project Four racing on its new owners request and finished in Dark blue. Given Project Four was building the Procars at the time it seemed only suitable that Chassis no. 2 was given any necessary performance upgrades. Cosmetically in this case chassis no. 2 is unique in the fact it had grooved Procar front wings, these grooves are subtle but introduced to the upper surface of the wing so the gel coat does not extend beyond the line allowing for easy replacement or repair. A lovely nod to the race cars and a step closer to Niki Lauda’s championship winning car sporting the same front wings than any other M1 road car produced.
Black details compliment the dark colour coding, with wing mirrors, front grilles, window surrounds and front and rear splitters all coloured as such, this era saw the end of chrome used on cars with new lightweight tech plastics. A black coach line runs around the exterior with lower sills and some large cooling vents on the rear clam-shell finishing off what is an incredible silhouette.
INTERIOR
Fitted with a half-leather and half-cloth interior its motorsport roots meant that the car had a basic interior layout with many parts sourced from other BMW models. It was no doubt a rush for BMW to get these homologated in time but given its initial race car application the basic interior adds to its appeal and is more than comfortable. Only built in LHD amenities such as air conditioning, power windows, electric wing mirrors and a radio came as standard and made it a comfortable place to be.
Like the exterior this car features unique improvements and with Project Four recommissioning it for its Team boss, it was important that luxury, fit and finish here were not rushed.
A unique feature is the ceiling-mounted car compo cockpit Hi-fi stereo that Ron Dennis had acquired after a trip to Japan, beautifully fitted it looks as if it was a BMW option and the unit itself at the very peak echelons of digital performance of the day. Upgraded pioneer speakers were naturally added to enhance the sound quality and have been custom fitted with precision into the doors.
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
When Dennis took ownership of the car it had no engine nor gearbox. Thankfully he wasn’t out of favours at BMW and in fact it was the hard work of Project Four racing that helped BMW launch the Procar series in time and with enough cars alongside winning the inaugural season. It was chief engineer and engine designer extraordinaire Paul Rosche who helped source and provided a suitable 3. 5 M1 engine together with a matching dogleg 5 speed gearbox as standard.
It was then left to Project four racing and headed by crew foreman Peter Hennessy who took the whole project under his wing and assembled it with painstaking care and to the best of the teams exacting standards.
On going maintenance was carried out by the race team to ensure the car was mechanically in perfect order alongside long periods of storage in the Dennis family, more recently it was subject to a refresh in March 2021 to ensure the car remained fully roadworthy with new tyres, mechanical work and a fresh MOT before going back into storage. The car has only covered approximately 3k kilometers since its build in 1980.
WHEELS, TYRES & BRAKES
The iconic, specially made 16? wheels by Campagnolo are in the good condition and carry the BMW Motorsport centre caps, wrapped in Pirelli P7 Cinturatos showing ample tread and date stamped 2019.
Brakes are four wheel vented disc’s and in excellent condition. ABS was not offered as an option.
HISTORY FILE
Just three prototype chassis’ were built for pre-production testing, chassis No. 1 was unfortunately scrapped after it had been crashed by Manfred Winklehock in testing, leaving this car (chassis No. 2) the oldest surviving BMW M1 in existence.
It was during 1980 that Ron Dennis of Project Four Racing was visiting BMW Motorsport in Munich when he noticed the remaining pair of sadly discarded prototype M1 Coupes gathering dust in the works. He asked what was going to happen to them and was told that since they were then surplus to requirements they would be broken up. In book-keeping terms the factory had a problem selling them since they had all been costed into the M1 R&D programme and after showing interest in owning one to build back up to a personal road car BMW made arrangements as he recalls gifted to him.
The car came to Dennis with its original factory colour of Off-white however he chose to have the car painted in an attractive shade of dark blue whilst the car was being stripped and rebuilt from the ground up. As Dennis had built all but one of the M1 Pro cars with his Project Four Racing team, the team had vast amounts of spare parts in the Woking workshop and his build crew foreman Peter Hennessy really took the prototype car under his wing to reassemble with painstaking care to best of the teams standards.
On completion of the ground up restoration it was road registered with the number plate ‘OPL 305W’ on June 12th 1981 and enjoyed by Dennis for many years while covering approximately 3k kilometers in his care, in his words ‘It proved to be a really nice road car, fast but civilised, sophisticated and comfortable’. Gifted to his partner (later his wife) who was also very fond of the car, it was then subsequently gifted to Dennis’ son who has owned the car since.
Paperwork present tracks family ownership over the four decades, it is the first time it has been offered to the market outside the Dennis family. A signed letter from Mr Ron Dennis confirms its provenance and incredible history.
Not only is this BMW the oldest remaining M1 chassis and prototype XP2 car, a provenance in itself, but further built and owned by Project Four team owner and boss, tasked with building, running and winning in the M1 Procars in period. This combination of talent, engineering, technology, sponsorship partnership and timing resulted in a chain of events that was the catalyst, the spark, that led to the McLaren story and success under Ron Dennis leadership.
Please visit our website for a full write up and additional photographs.
The car is supplied having had an extensive intake inspection. Warranty, Finance, Part Exchange and Worldwide shipping are all available on request.
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