A neat introduction, then, to this week’s retrospective, itself a retrospective. It’s the BMW M1 Homage of 2008 – conceived as a tribute to the car that first put that now legendary letter before a single number. The original happens to be BMW’s only supercar to date. A significant car then. Naturally, speculation in 2008 was rife that the retro-futurist tribute to the M1 was, in fact, an indication that BMW was to return to the supercar fray, with fierce rival Audi having debuted the R8 not long before.
Even then anyone with a bit of sense about them knew this concept’s purpose was to begin and end with an artistic look back at the original. Today, it’s entirely obvious, although no exercise in automotive styling, no matter how gratuitous, is without its own purpose. The gestational flourishes of multiple styling cues from BMW’s current range – the i8 especially – can be seen in the contrasting curves and edges of the M1 Homage. It’s a curious amalgam of both stunning and visually challenging. Not surprising given then- BMW Design Director Chris Bangle’s reputation for a handsomely proportioned car that’s as easy on the eyes from some angles as it is eyebrow-raising from others. A total success as a tribute to the Giugiaro-penned original as far as we’re concerned.