One of just 54 BMW M1 Procars, never raced and in original condition, commanded $1.6 million at auction.
Monterey Car Week has long been a showcase for rare and historic vehicles, but this year one of BMW’s most celebrated racing icons stood out among the crowd. A 1980 BMW M1 Procar, one of only 54 built for the factory’s short-lived but legendary one-make racing series, changed hands for $1.6 million.
The M1 Procar was born from BMW Motorsport’s ambition to create a racing platform that could pit the world’s best drivers against each other in identical machinery. The series, which ran in 1979 and 1980, attracted Formula 1 stars including Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, and Emerson Fittipaldi. Based on the road-going M1—the first car developed entirely by BMW’s M division—the Procar variant was stripped down for competition, boasting a spartan cockpit and 470 horsepower from its M88 straight-six engine. Capable of nearly 190 mph, the cars quickly earned a reputation for being both unforgiving and thrilling in equal measure.
The example sold at Monterey carries an added layer of significance. Delivered new to Vasek Polak, a famed Porsche dealer and motorsports figure, the car was never raced. Instead, it remained in original condition, preserving the raw engineering and Giugiaro-penned design that made the M1 Procar so iconic. For collectors, that level of originality is almost unheard of.
The $1.6 million sale price underscores the growing demand for period-correct motorsport icons. While many Procars saw hard use on track, few remain untouched, making this example a true time capsule from the late 1970s. Its sale highlights both the enduring allure of BMW’s first M car and the prestige of Monterey Car Week as the stage where the rarest finds command top dollar.
