At the Villa d'Este Concours, BMW ignited passion for its heritage by reincarnating the seminal M1. The new design was shown at a private party over the weekend to generate interest in the program. It was placed alongside an original M1 as well as the 1972 Turbo Concept.

Thirty years ago BMW boldly entered the supercar market with the M1. Being a production racing car, it was a huge leap forward in both engineering and style. Thus, the M1 became an icon of BMW performance in the seventies. But it also became a singularity, since the cars relatively poor performance in motor sport hindered the prospects for a successor.

Reviving names of past models and modernizing them for the current market is a delicate balance. Considerations have to be made for safety, increased performance and retro styling as well as keeping the dedicated enthusiasts onboard. BMW are no strangers to retro design, their revival of the Mini has been a large success. This is contrasted by the new one-series and their romantic comparison to the 2002. The latest name that faces BMW designers is the M1.

The scope of the new M1 project is uncertain, but BMW are dedicated enough to champion the new visual design. At the Villa d’Este Concours they showed a non-functional styling buck, with no engine and interior, but with working lights and steering.

Like the original, the new M1 project is sleek, wide and ahead of its time. The car is painted a brilliant hue of metallic bronze, just like the first M1 prototype of 1972.

The 2008 M1’s styling is a new direction for BMW and a departure from Chris Bangle’s flame surfacing that changed the entire BMW line. Now we have more purposeful lines, a void of extraneous curves and a more purposeful stance. BMW said this was a new direction that would trickle down to all BMW models.

When revealed to our photographer, Matteo TT Schucchi, his first impression was that “pictures can't really show the real presence, but it really is amazing, with some incredible lines, and definitely a great modern interpretation of the M1.”

Next week the car will be officially unveiled by Auto Bild and BMW themselves.

The 2008 M1’s styling is a new direction for BMW and a departure from Chris Bangle’s flame surfacing that changed the entire BMW line. Now we have more purposeful lines, a void of extraneous curves and a more purposeful stance. BMW said this was a new direction that would trickle down to all BMW models.

The Concorso D’Eleganza Villa D’Este, in the lake Como, in Italy, is sponsored by BMW since it was revived, in 1999, and the German brand always finds space to show amazing concept cars there. Sadly, none of them has made it into production so far. Some of the stars have been the Mille Miglia Concept and the Rolls-Royce 101EX. In this year’s edition of the event, BMW will pay homage to one of its most important cars, the M1, which celebrates 30 years in 2008. But the Bavarian company did not intend only to cherish its creation, it also wanted to present a modern interpretation of that supercar. Meet the M1 Concept. With it, the tradition on Villa D’Este’s concepts may be about to change.

It is not only the concept’s striking looks that may give it a chance to be produced, even if in a small scale. The new car may also have come to life in a proper moment for BMW to give its production a serious thought. Mercedes-Benz has realized it may be a good idea to offer supercars and, when SLR’s production ceases, in 2009, it already has plans to revive the Gullwing, currently being tested under a Viper-like body. Even Audi has given it a try and is not complaining about R8 sales and brand-image benefits. Hence, why would BMW stay out of such a market?

It is obvious no one likes to bet if there is no chance of winning, so BMW will probably wait to see public’s reaction on the M1 to consider production. Expect it to be present in the most important autoshows in the next few years, such as Paris and Frankfurt. Anyway, if BMW demands anything else than enthusiastic reception to give the greenlight to this machine, we are sure thousands of World Car Fans will be willing to know what it is. And to have it done.

A completely undisguised photo from a hangar in Spain of what appears to be a prototype for the BMW M1 has turned up on freshtarmac.com, the debatable question we now need to resolve is, is this real? Or is it just a damn good photoshop? Either way, we are united in the WCF office that the styling of the M1 shown above destroys the best efforts of the BMW designers with the M1 Homage. The front fascia design borrows a number of elements from the M3 on this prototype, while the overall body profile looks strikingly similar to the Audi R8.