BMW M1 Hommage concept (2008): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

27 April 2008 12:47

The new BMW M1 Hommage was a surprise debutant at the Concorso d’Eleganza 2008 di Villa d’Este this weekend. No prizes for guessing what it is: this is an official concept car to mark the 30th anniversary of the original M1 supercar.

The Hommage is a clever reinterpretation of the 1978 coupe, bristling with echoes of the original. The low-slung coupe stance, the slatted deck where a rear window should be, those polished, sink-strainer alloy wheels - it's an unambiguously direct bloodline connected to BMW's first proper supercar.

BMW M1 Hommage: not all retro

Don't expect a Mini-style trip down memory lane. The M1 Hommage is brought bang up to date with the latest design trends: there's the (now compulsory on any sports car) rear diffuser, the usual lack of any visible door handles and typically tiny door mirrors. We like the BMW roundel sitting on the extremities of the rump though.

The official line is that the M1 is a celebration pure and simple, but the July 2008 issue of CAR Magazine reveals BMW is deadly serious about the project.

A rare BMW surprise

It's rare for a manufacturer, and especially BMW, to throw a complete surprise, but few outside Munich's HQ even knew this show car was coming.

Click 'Next' to read more about the M1 Hommage

By Tim Pollard