BMW planning reborn M1 supercar

BMW could have a 450kW-plus successor to the iconic M1 supercar of the late 1970s on sale by early next decade.

The project is the lovechild of BMW Group’s development chief Klaus Frohlich, who confirmed his desire to build a new-generation BMW supercar to Australian media during an interview at the Paris motor show overnight.

“I’m a car guy,” he said. “Once in a life I want to make a supercar

“I have not given up.”

Frohlich revealed his supercar plan hinged around using the carbon-fibre structure of the current i8 coupe and an all-wheel drive petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain.

But while the current i8 makes 275kW from its combination of front-mounted electric motor and rear-mounted 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, Frohlich said the supercar would make 600hp (447kW) or more.

And that spells supercar or even hypercar performance levels.

“I have a wonderful carbon-fibre chassis for a sports car in my portfolio,” he said. “Currently it’s used in the i8.

“This car was launched in 2014, so I would like to use something like that, with much more performance, electric and conventional.

“Then it will be very soon in the 600 horsepower or something region and it will not have a weight of two tonnes.”

A renowned petrol-head, Frohlich spends most of his life devising BMW Group’s technical position as we head into the era of electrification and autonomy.

And this new supercar would incorporate high-tech as well as brute force.

“I don’t think that supercars in the [20]20s will be V8s or V10s, unfortunately,” he said. “The segment of the Ferraris and the McLarens will be electrified.

“I see a big potential. If you look at a car with four-to-six cylinders and the e-motor normally always are all-wheel drive.”

The BMW supercar’s mooted timing in 2021-22 coincides with the end of the lifecycle of the first generation i8, which was launched with great fanfare as part of BMW’s ‘i’ electrification strategy in 2014.

Its carbon-fibre chassis offers immense strength and light weight, but is expensive to construct. But Frohlich clearly believes it has still got plenty of life in it.

“I think there is a next window of opportunity whenever we have the lifecycle for i8.

“The chassis is so robust, so good and so light-weight that I would like to use it for a second generation.

“I’m working very hard to make it happen.”

As always with such things, Frohlich said the dollars didn’t necessarily add up to a profit and that made achieving a green light difficult.

“All these guys who want these supercars normally are journalists who want to drive them but do not want to buy them,” he said.

“This market segment is so small … there is always a business case discussions about it … we have to invest in the brand, too.

With a Giugiaro-designed body measuring up at 4.361m long and powered by an 204kW 3.5-litre straight six engine, the original M1 went on-sale in 1978, with 453 built by the time production ceased in 1981.

In 2008 BMW showed off the M1 Homage concept to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the M1.

There have been rumours of a powered-up i8 circulating for some time. There were reports a V10 i8 would appear to celebrate BMW’s 100th anniversary in 2016, but it never happened.