Drive Your Dream Blog

It’s been 30 years since BMW released the M1 sports car, and to mark the occasion, BMW Group Design revealed its new concept car at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2008 concept show in Lake Como, Italy. The new concept car is called the M1 Homage, and it earns its name. Check out a set of nice hi res photos of the new M1 from Alex Nunez at Autoblog.

Michael Rose at Great Cars has an excellent recap of the classics and concepts that made this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza a fantastic show.

“The original BMW M1 was an amazing car,” says Ron Sturgeon, owner of an exotic car rental company in Dallas. “There were less than 500 built, which makes it a pretty hot collector’s item.”

Because of the original M1’s scarcity, it isn’t often seen cruising around town or in the garage of your local elite car club. This rare car was the result of a joint venture between BMW and Lamborghini during the late 1970s. Turbocharged racing versions of the car toyed with the 850 horsepower mark.

Some of the ways that the BMW M1 Homage pays tribute to its much-loved ancestor is by featuring an orange and black paint scheme, hood air vents, twin rear logos, and rear louvers. The exterior dimensions of the M1 Homage also perfectly match those of the original M1; however, the new concept car has a longer wheel base.

Other exterior features that might be familiar to fans of the original M1 include the profile of the front grill and headlights that are only visible when they’re on. Unfortunately, the M1 Homage is a concept car, and BMW has not made any firm commitment to produce the vehicle.

Dr. Klaus Draeger, BMW Group board member, explained the idea behind the M1 Homage in Canadian Driver, an auto blog: “Drawing inspiration from your own past and thereby reinventing yourself – that is exactly what the BMW M1 Homage demonstrates in impressive style.”

Even if you can’t drive the original M1 or an M1 Homage, you can still drive a BMW. Besides the obvious, though for many of us, unattainable, option of owning an exotic, classic, or luxury car, there are some other great ways to drive your dream vehicle.

One way to make your automotive dreams happen is to join an exotic car club or participate in a dream tour, where you can drive your dream car and four other exotic, classic, or luxury vehicles in a single day. And there’s always the very popular option of exotic car rental.

“We do have a 2007 BMW M6 Convertible,” says Sturgeon, who also owns a Dallas exotic car club. “The BMW M6 delivers all the power and performance that you’d expect from BMW’s M series.”

The BMW M6 rental has 500 horsepower and manages 0-60 in 4.6 seconds. Now that convertible weather has arrived in Dallas, the BMW M5 should be a popular rental car.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.