BMW M1 Concept to Feature in Dubai.

It was on a crisp, frosty morning that I was greeted by one of the greatest sins known to the motoring world. I’d like to give the driver the benefit of the doubt; maybe the car was given to him free and he couldn’t refuse or hopefully vandals had disfigured the car last night and he hadn’t realised. Ear-bleedingly crude drum-and-bass at 9am and the audacity to have the driver’s window down while doing a chilly 50mph somewhat removed this feeling.

Although to those not interested in cars it will seem futile, buying a 1996 3 series BMW 1.6 and fitting alloy wheels to it, then sellotaping an M3 badge on the back is enough to make me a little bit sick. Just a tiny bit. Not only do we have issues of dishonesty and disloyalty but also the fact that anybody who knows anything about cars will hate you and anybody who doesn’t won’t even notice.

The ‘M’ tuning division of BMW doesn’t deserve such treatment. I have to admit, German manufacturers these days make boring cars for men and women who instead of sending their children to bed with no dinner, fire them, tell them to clear their desks and fill out a P45. The likes of AMG Mercedes and ‘R’ model Audi’s represent market schemes aimed at squeezing as much BHP as possible into cars designed to ferry Frappucinos along motorways. The ‘M’ BMWs however have always been different, more raw, more exciting due to less technological wizardry.

Funny then, that ‘M’ performance tuning stems from technically one of the worst but conceptually one of the best cars BMW ever made, the M1. Designed and built initially for racing, the M1 had everything going for it, with Italian carmaker Lamborghini commissioned to design the chassis and produce the car. Then, because Lamborghinis were very fast but held together with parmesan cheese and ravioli, nobody bought one and they went bust – leaving BMW pick up the pieces.

What resulted was the only mid-engine BMW ever to be produced developing 273hp, which between 1978 and 1981 when sold to the public was enough blow even the most sculpted afro out of shape. By the 80s, soiled spandex was being put out with the bins, along with the majority of the owner’s confidence. Driving the M1 as it was designed to be driven took more than just skill, most of the time it involved a bit of luck. Financial struggle shone through in plastic body parts, poor brakes and poor reliability; 160mph in an M1 was rather like proceeding down your stairs sat in a wheelie bin.

All these negatives should be forgotten though, because the M1’s is an example of passion over practicality. The people at BMW did away with convention and produced a car for the sake of performance and pushing boundaries, something that swallows all inadequacy.

For 2009 BMW plan to show their concept M1 at the 10th Dubai International Motor Show on 15th December. The carmaker won’t admit whether they intend to turn concept into production, having shown it already in 2008, but strange spy shots of an original M1 being tested earlier this year was enough to get car lovers wearing flares and leaving the mines. We can only hope some of BMW’s most exciting work will be born again for 2010.