The Mecum auction house will put up for sale a rare 1979 sports car once owned by three-time Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda, Idman.Biz reports.
The car is considered particularly valuable not only because of its history, but also due to its relatively low mileage of just 20,350 kilometers.
According to foreign media reports, the BMW M1 was developed, among other purposes, for participation in the Procar one-make series, which was held in 1979 and 1980 as support races for Formula 1 events. Niki Lauda won the first season of the series, and the car being auctioned was awarded to him as a prize.
The sports car has retained its original white Campagnolo wheels, as well as a front bumper rarely seen on road versions, whose design was borrowed from the racing M1. Technically, it is a standard coupe powered by a 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine producing 277 horsepower.
BMW produced around 400 road-going M1 units in total, with approximately 50 additional cars built for racing. The value of these rare vehicles at auction often exceeds half a million dollars.
