Bringing back to life an old icon is a process that automakers must tread lightly. This M1 is undoubtedly not a rush job since BMW took a whole year to rebuild the car. Ronnie Fieg, the supercar’s owner, searched for the right E26 for two years before buying one and sending it to BMW. Finding a suitable vehicle for the project wasn’t easy, given how few of these were ever made. Just 453 cars were assembled between 1978 and 1981.
The Kith founder is now part of a select club, considering there were only 399 road-going M1s. The other 54 were Procar-spec vehicles built for racing. Resprayed in Techno Violet, this wedge-shaped coupe is among the last built since it was completed during the final production year. BMW stayed as close to the original as possible, save for Fieg’s personal touches.
If you’re a diehard purist, you probably won’t like the Kith logo on the tailgate. Open the doors, and the side sills combine the famous three M colors with the fashion house’s oversized badge. Dozens of small logos have also been applied to the seats. The M1 has been reupholstered in Individual Grey Merino leather. The Kith theme has been embedded into the door cards, floor mats, and the leather around the gear shift lever to drive the point home.
As you can imagine, BMW didn’t need a year to emphasize the Kith connection. Most of the time was spent mechanically restoring the M1 to its former glory. It sourced original parts wherever possible by digging deep into its inventory and archives. It must’ve cost a pretty penny to buy an M1 and then have it fully restored by BMW.
To give you an idea, RM Sotheby’s sold a mint-condition, low-mileage example earlier this year at its Paris sale for €522,500, which is about $553,000 at current exchange rates.