Miguel Sánchez
PHOTOS BMW M1 AUTOGAS: COYS / BMW
Getting a great sports record is not the same as being widely remembered. In fact, sometimes just the opposite happens. That is the case with the BMW M1. One of the brand's most celebrated sports cars but, at the same time, unfortunate when it comes to his racing record.
Its origin responds to the attempt to put a breakthrough car on the circuits with respect to what the brand had been doing. And to a large extent it was achieved, starting with being the first BMW series with mid-rear engine. An eccentric disposition among the Bavarians but very normal for the Lamborghini engineers, which was awarded to design the chassis of the future BMW M1.
In 1978 the result of this joint work was finally presented. Visually it was impossible not to be captivated by the lines drawn by Giogetto Giugiaro, while the hood was lowered a six-cylinder engine, 24 valves, 3453cc and 273CV. The idea was to produce it in sufficient quantity to achieve homologation in the touring car championships, a fact that was achieved thanks to the more than 450 units assembled between 1978 and 1981.
Today the BMW M1 is not only one of the greatest motorsport icons of the 70s, but also a rare and sought-after model. That is why the find of possibly the rarest M1 in history it has not gone unnoticed. This is the BMW M1 Harald Ertl Autogas. A modified unit to establish a curious record returned to light after 25 years unaccounted for.
AUTOGAS, THE NEW FUEL THAT DID NOT BECOME
At the end of the 70s the Austrian pilot Harald ertl he was living his best moment. Although he spent 5 years in F1 - going through three teams - his record did not know glory until in 1978 he won the German Motor Racing Championship as an official BMW driver. Ertl had concerns beyond driving anyway. And it is that by 1980 he was immersed in several avant-garde engineering projects.
One of them had to do with him Petroleum liquid gas. Companies like British Petroleum put their hopes in gas, thinking that perhaps the future of motorsport would go in this direction. The curiosity about this fuel known as autogas was shared by Harald Ertl, who in 1981 acquired a BMW M1 as the basis for a certain feat.
What did this consist of? Well, very simple: adapt the M1 to autogas and exceed 300 km / h top speed. To meet the record, it had the support of BP, reaching 17 km / h on October 1981, 301. For this he modified the aerodynamics, which is especially seen in a completely rebuilt rear to fit the new fuel tank.
The event had the same echo that today may have that of an electrician overcoming a new barrier. But nevertheless… Autogas did not advance as battery-powered cars are doing now -although it is true that there is a lot of LPG around us-.
BMW M1 AUTOGAS: SAFE AFTER 25 YEARS MISSING
The record was never homologated, the automotive industry was not seduced by autogas, Harald Ertl died a few months later in a plane crash and the BMW M1 Autogas began to live in limbo. Ertl's widow allowed the M1 to be exhibited at the Midland Motor Museum, but withdrew it upon discovering that the director sold the cars behind the donors' backs (!).
From there he returned to Europe and began a seclusion in the garage until 1993 when it was put up for sale. Nobody buys it and you lose track for 25 years. Fortunately, and after long investigations, last 2018 it appeared in a warehouse on the outskirts of London. The condition is not the best, but it has still managed to find a buyer. On April 13, it was sold for 160.276 euros during the auction held by Coys en Techno Classica Essen.
Its new owner has a laborious restoration project ahead of him. But what does that matter when what you have at hand is something as special as the one and only BMW M1 Autogas? A car that in 1981 produced 415CV of power. And it is that the two imposing KKK turbos help a lot to the six-cylinder BMW.
We will have to keep track of this M1 Autogas, because when it is restored… It will be even more impressive.
