Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters Owned This Uncommon BMW M1 — Now It’s Headed to Public sale

Some vehicles are essential due to what they’re. Others matter due to who owned them. On uncommon events, these two narratives intersect. We’ve obtained an excellent one at the moment: a rock-star owned BMW M1. The BMW M1 is arguably a cornerstone of each the BMW and M manufacturers. As the primary true M automobile, it casts a virtually inescapable shadow on each automotive that adopted it. In the meantime, Roger Waters is answerable for a few of the most recognizable Pink Floyd songs to ever be concocted. And it’s his BMW M1 that crosses the public sale block over at RM Sotheby’s in slightly below 30 days.

BMW M1: A Temporary Re-Introduction

The BMW M1 occupies a singular place in historical past as each the model’s first true mid-engine supercar and the genesis of BMW M as a standalone efficiency division. Conceived within the late Nineteen Seventies, the M1 was initially meant as a homologation particular to tackle Porsche in worldwide motorsport. Issues with Lamborghiniinitially tasked with improvement, compelled BMW to imagine management and assemble a consortium of Italian specialists to finish the venture. The end result was a putting wedge-shaped coupe penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro, with fiberglass bodywork over a tubular metal spaceframe. Energy got here from the M88 3.5-liter inline-six, producing round 275 horsepower in highway trim. That was a formidable determine for the period. Able to 165 mph, the M1 was arguably the unique Final Driving Machine.

Past its spectacular in-period specs, the M1’s legacy is outlined by its affect somewhat than gross sales success. Solely 399 road-going examples had been constructed between 1978 and 1981, making certain its rarity however limiting its business influence. On the observe, BMW created the progressive Procar Championship to showcase the M1, pitting Method One drivers in opposition to each other in equivalent equipment throughout Grand Prix weekends. This sequence elevated the automotive’s profile and foreshadowed the model’s future. Extra importantly, the M1 established the philosophical basis for each M automotive that adopted: motorsport-derived engineering, understated aggression, and a deal with stability.

Roger Waters BMW M1: What to Know

The BMW M1 in query — chassis 4301211 — is completed in blue. Even when the automotive wasn’t owned by musician royalty, it’d nonetheless command an enormous premium for its paint alone. Solely 59 vehicles obtained blue paint; far rarer than the 163 white vehicles or 98 orange ones. In accordance with the documentation supplied with the automotive, Roger Waters picked up his 1980 BMW M1 in Germany someday in 1979 earlier than importing the M1 to the UK in April 1980. Waters then owned the automobile for 42 years — retaining paperwork and documentation alongside the best way. He apparently even held on to the automotive’s unique German supply plate. Quick forwarding fairly a bit, the automotive obtained a serious mechanical overhaul when it arrived in the USA in 2021 totaling almost $30,000. The M1 now reveals round 15,600 kilometers (round 9,700 miles).

In the event you don’t know, Waters is a founding member of Pink Floyd. He started on bass, however finally grew to become the principal singer and songwriter. Albums like The Wall, Want You Have been Right here, and Darkish Aspect of the Moon had been all merchandise of Pink Floyd’s Waters-led interval. Thematic albums had been a little bit of a sample for Waters — and arguably a contributor to the band’s large, multi-generational success. RM expects the M1 to promote for between $550,000 and $650,000 USD, and consider it or not, that is likely to be a conservative estimate. Larger mileage examples have bought for over $650,000. All of it comes down as to if or not the client values the provenance and rarity; in spite of everything, the BMW M1 everybody remembers is probably going Orange or White. The automotive sells at RM’s Arizona public sale in January.

Supply: RM Sotheby’s 1980 BMW M1