At the auction of Monterey Jet Center 2025, one of the rarest competitive cars from BMW – and maybe one of the perfectly preserved, made one of the perfect maintenance and made headlines. On August 14, Broad Arrow Auctions sold the Chassis number 94301057, a 1980 BMW M1 Procar, for 1.6 million US dollars in a hammer or 1.76 million US dollars in the buyer’s premium.
This was not an ordinary racing car. In fact, it was hardly driven. The chassis 94301057 never took part in a Procar championship event, never fought against bike with Formula 1 legends and never had the mechanical punishment of an entire racing season. Instead, it lived a life with shakedowns, exhibition rounds and a few years in the camp alone – a time capsule from the gold era of BMW Motorsport.
Why a never occurring procar orders seven figures
For collectors, originality can be worth more than a winning record. Most of the only 54 BMW M1 Procars were driven hard, repainted, repaired and converted several times. Many lost their original components decades ago. This example is apart: it still carries its factory color, retains its original interior and carries all its delicious mechanics from the 470 hp-M88/1 straight to the ZF-Fünf gear.
In fact, it is a reference process that was kept in 1979 as a BMW Motorsport workshop. For Concours judges, museum curators or vintage racing lovers, such a car offers an unsurpassed historical authenticity. Its a lack of competition kilometer status means that it has never bent, patched or compromised-a rare opportunity to have a “brand new” racing car from almost half a century ago.
CHASSIS 94301057: By Vasek Polak to this day
This Procar, which was completed on May 9, 1979, was prepared by Osella in Italy before it was delivered to Vasek Polak, the racing driver born in the Czech Republic and the renowned Porsche dealer in California. Polak tested the car on the Riverside International Raceway, but changes to the rules ended its authorization to compete before it could enter a single race. The car went into storage and still wore its wide color and without sponsorship painting.
In 1989 it went to a second owner who remained mechanically and cosmetically untouched. The current owner acquired it in 2021 and commissioned 2022 a complete service in the workshop. Since then, only a light route has been used.
The dream of a collector
Almost none of the 54 Procars built in such an untouched state. The originality of this car makes it a perfect candidate for top-class concours displays, museum preservation or even vintage races with minimal restoration. In view of the importance of the M1 Procar-Als, the first creation of BMW Motorsport and the heart of a one-make series, the F1 champions in the same machine-there was no surprise that the chassis 94301057 in Monterey dominated a premium.
The final price of 1.76 million US dollars is just as proof of its historical purity as for the permanent legend of the M1 Procar.
[Photos: Tom Plucinski]
