Is BMW Making a Standalone M Sports Car?

The world enjoyed the BMW M1 from 1978 – 1981, and the world has never been the same since. That M1 made Sports Car International’s  Top Ten list in 2004, and the homage concept model BMW revealed in 2008 certainly made some waves in the industry. It’s easy to see echoes of this vehicle almost everywhere, but BMW may just be making a standalone M sports car once more, and it could even be electric, news that has many practically squealing with glee. 

In a recent interview with BBC’s TopGear, Markus Flasch, M boss, hinted that they had plans for something new involving two seats and a mid-mounted engine just like the M1 had, but that there were many other design options on the table. 

He’s not wrong, either, with options abound for this brand today. There are so many power train choices available to this brand, and eventually, a fully electric model could be on the table, so it makes sense that it could be a hybrid release now to bridge the gap between the two. 

No one is sure when the electric market will impact BMW, though. In the same interview, Flasch suggested that while they’re working on electrified combustion and fully electric models, they don’t want to move too quickly. Instead, they’d rather wait to bring that technology to customers when they can do so in a way that means a performance or character advantage. As is typical of this brand, they won’t do it just to be the first one on the market with that power train option. Instead, they want to maintain their traditional level of sophistication. 

For now, though, what a standalone BMW M series model will look like in terms of performance and aesthetics will have to remain a mystery as this model continues to fascinate enthusiasts.