To mark the 30th anniversary of the legendary M1 supercar, BMW Group Design has created a design tribute. The aptly named M1 Homage takes its styling cues from the low-slung mid-engine machine designed by Giorgio Giugiaro that was launched in 1978.
The Homage echoes the long-engine compartment and
stretched side windows of the original M1.
The Liquid Orange colour - especially created for the concept - plays on hallmark M1 colours.
The show car also recreates the characteristic BMW twin logo at the rear, on the right and left edges above the tail lights. In the development stage of the M1, this dual emblem was the first styling element to be approved, even before the initial sketches.
Other styling cues taken from the M1 are the air vents in the bonnet, the louvres on the rear windscreen, and the black cutline dividing the roofline from the body's rear section.
The exterior dimensions of the M1 Homage are in keeping with those of the M1; only the extended wheelbase indicates a larger passenger cell.
The hallmark BMW twin kidney at the front is functional in the Homage.
It combines aerodynamic, cooling-air routing and safety solutions.
The design of the headlamps is a new iteration of the retractable headlights of the BMW M1. Like the lamps on the historic model, the Homage's are only visible when switched on.
When not in use they are integrated into the front-end design and disappear into the recessed black cutline.
