Non Prime cars – BMW Starts Planning for New M1
With Renault launching the Alpine brand again, BMW is also considering reviving their legendary super car, the M1. Expectations are high with this one, as BMW is planning for it to hit 200mph top speed with the heart being a turbocharged V8 engine with 600bhp and Non Prime Cars customer of MSG can look to get in on the action too – though they may need to settle for something a little cheaper like a £30k M3 model.
BMW’s top two competitors both have their own flagship cars – Audi with the R8, Mercedes with the SLS, but BMW has none! Although the i8 will be launched soon, BMW also wants another car to continue on the glory days of the old M1 and it should be here by 2016.
Insiders at BMW have confirmed that the M1 would be a mid-engined supercar with only space for two persons. But unlike the i8, BMW has a different plan for the powertrain of the M1. Where the i8 uses a 1.5-liter three cylinder engine with electric motors, the M1 will very likely use a 600bhp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8.
The M1 will still share some of the lightweight i8 technologies like the super lightweight carbon chassis. That should be enough to put the car in the 1250kg range, making it even lighter than the 1600kg+ Audi R8.
To make the car even faster, the M1 would also come with active aerodynamic features like Ferarri 458-esque active flaps and vanes which change shapes at higher speeds.
600bhp and 1250kg weight with aerodynamic advancements should take the car from 0-62mph in less than 3 seconds and accelerate towards the horizon to a maximum speed of 200mph. Economical technologies like stop-start and a fuel efficient nine-speed automatic transmission will also make the M1 one of the most environmentally friendly cars around.
If the project gets the thumbs-up from the officials, a concept should appear in 2014. Unlike the M1 Hommage car which graced the 2008 Concours d’Eleganza, the new M1 should look less retro and would carry a price tag of £250,000 when it goes on sale in 2016. For those looking to get pre approved on a new or used vehicle and who might consider something slightly cheaper – why not apply today online and we will have an instant decision on both car leasing, car finance or a car loan option for you!
