You Can Buy The BMW M1 Originally Owned By Niki Lauda

The legendary race car driver earned the supercar as a prize for winning the 1979 BMW M1 Procar Championship.

With only 460 units ever made, BMW’s sole supercar doesn’t come up for sale very often. The street-legal M1 is rarer than hen’s teeth, as only 397 road-registered cars were manually assembled by specialist contractor Baur in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One of those E26s had a particularly famous owner, Niki Lauda, and it’s about to hit the market.

At its Kissimmee 2026 sale on January 17, Mecum will auction an M1 originally owned by the legendary Austrian racer. Lauda didn’t actually buy it. He earned it as a prize at the end of the inaugural BMW M1 Procar Championship season. Despite retiring from three of the eight races, he still finished the season with the most points, edging out another icon, Hans-Joachim Stuck.

The trophy car has covered only 20,350 kilometers (12,644 miles) and remains in excellent condition. Finished in white with hand-painted M stripes, it also carries the signature of Art Car collaborator and artist Walter Maurer. The car was imported to the United States in 1987 and later appeared at the 2017 Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in California.

As if M1s weren’t special enough, Lauda’s example also features the rare Procar-style front air dam. Mecum notes that it benefits from a “highly detailed undercarriage” and comes with a service history. The blue interior includes niceties such as air conditioning, power windows, and a Becker Europa stereo.

There’s no estimate yet, but expect it to command serious money. In early 2024, an M1 with 20,235 km (12,573 miles) sold on Bring a Trailer for $552,000. A year earlier, Gooding moved an even lower-mileage example for $478,000. Given its famous first owner, strong mechanical condition, and rare spec, Lauda’s M1 could sell for significantly more.

Note: The attached images show Niki Lauda driving the BMW M1 Procar and BMW’s own M1, respectively. Photos of the actual car for sale are available at the source link below.

Source: Mecum