File this under
"Too Good To Be True" for now. If you ask 10 BMW enthusiasts what fantasy car they want BMW to make happen, nine probably will say 'A real supercar like the original M1 was.'
If the restless BMW insider SCOTT26 is to be believed, he has told us that BMW is considering exactly that. Internally dubbed "
M-One," this project is said to be at a very early stage, meaning it only exists as a sketch so far. No surprise then that there aren't any technical details yet. However, a logical powerplant would be the use of the engine of the upcoming F30 M3, as well as its underpinnings and platform. Scott stresses that the M-One would be an unique M car, meaning it would not be based on any particular BMW AG model. Visually we'd expect something along the lines of the M1 Hommage. Using know-how from BMW i, this car would make extensive use of carbon fiber. Scott goes on to say that the car won't debut before 2015 *IF* it gets approved for production.
We've been dreaming of BMW building such a vanity/halo car for a long time. BMW has always stressed that they don't need such a car, and that 'halo cars' like the Audi R8 aren't a top priority. Considering the BMW i8's debut in 2013 as a green supercar, we just don't see how an M supercar makes sense. Even with modular platforms and mass production of CFRP, this would be a incredibly expensive project. We hope BMW proves us wrong, though. Again, we're simply reporting a very preliminary rumor tipped to us, so please take this info with several grains of salt.
* Image used in story is not a sketch of any BMW prototype, but the product of a talented pair of artists