BMW M Bosses Yearn To Revive The Legendary M1 Supercar Dream

The BMW M1 refuses to fade from memory, and now the brand’s own bosses are stoking the fire. Nearly fifty years on from the wedge-shaped original, BMW M chief Frank van Meel has admitted he would love to build a brand new M1. It is a sentiment that will set enthusiast hearts racing.

Van Meel made the remark in conversation with BMWBlog. “I’m in love with the original M1, but I would love to do a new one,” he said. Oliver Heilmer, who leads M design, voiced the same longing. The mid-engined coupe clearly still casts a long shadow over Munich.

This is not the first flirtation with a revival. BMW came tantalisingly close once before. The 2019 Vision M Next concept previewed a 600hp four-cylinder plug-in hybrid, and historian Steve Saxty reckons it was 95 percent finished. A launch was even pencilled in for 2022.

Then the plan stalled. BMW pivoted to the bulky XM SUV and badged it, somewhat optimistically, as the spiritual M1 heir. The crossover has not won the hearts the firm hoped for. The base version has already been axed for 2026, a telling sign that buyers wanted something rather more focused.

So will the dream become metal? Do not hold your breath. A low-volume, mid-engined halo car demands serious investment, and the wider industry remains in flux. For now, the M1 stays parked in the realm of wishful thinking. Yet with M’s top brass openly pining for it, the door is not quite shut.