With only 460 units ever made, BMW’s only supercar doesn’t come up for sale very often. The road-legal M1 is rarer than hen’s teeth, with only 397 road-legal cars being hand-assembled by specialist company Baur in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One of these E26s had a particularly famous owner, Niki Lauda, and it is about to be launched.
At its Kissimmee 2026 auction on January 17, Mecum will be auctioning off an M1 that originally belonged to the legendary Austrian racer. Lauda didn’t really buy it. He received it as a prize at the end of the first season of the BMW M1 Procar Championship. Although he was eliminated in three of the eight races, he still finished the season with the most points, edging out another icon, Hans-Joachim Stuck.
The trophy car has only traveled 20,350 kilometers (12,644 miles) and remains in excellent condition. It is finished in white with hand-painted M stripes and also bears the signature of Art Car employee and artist Walter Maurer. The car was imported to the United States in 1987 and later appeared at the 2017 Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in California.
As if M1s weren’t special enough, Lauda’s example also features the rare Procar-style front spoiler. Mecum notes that it has a “very detailed undercarriage” and has a maintenance history. The blue interior features amenities such as air conditioning, power windows and a Becker Europa stereo system.
There’s no estimate yet, but you can expect it to make a lot of money. In early 2024, an M1 with 20,235 km (12,573 miles) sold on Bring a Trailer for $552,000. A year earlier, Gooding moved an even lower-mileage example for $478,000. Given its famous original owner, good mechanical condition and rare equipment, Lauda’s M1 could sell for significantly more.
Note: The attached pictures show Niki Lauda in the BMW M1 Procar or in the BMW M1. Photos of the actual car for sale can be found at the source link below.
Source: Mecum
