A unique 1981 BMW M1 is the subject of an artistic collaboration between fashion and footwear designer Ronnie Fieg’s Kith brand and the Munich car maker.
The E26 coupe was, of course, the first M car from BMW and only 453 were built between 1978 and 1981. Of those just 399 made it to the road, with the remainder built for the Procar racing program.
This example is one of the last to leave the factory and has undergone a year-long restoration project that has seen its Giugiaro-penned bodywork repainted in Techno Violet, with the interior trimmed in Grey Merino leather. The Kith logo is repeated in a pattern across the seat centers, and on the floor mats, door cards, and leather shifter gaiter. You’ll also find the streetwear brand’s name paired with the M-Division’s trademark blue and red stripes on the door sills and tail, opposite the M1 badge.
Fieg reportedly spent two years trying to find the right donor car, before sending it to BMW to be mechanically and bodily restored back to original specification, and then having his own branded touches added.
A matching Kith holdall fits neatly in the trunk behind the M1’s fabulous 3453 cc straight-six engine. The M88/1 unit developed by BMW motor guru Paul Rosche produced 273 hp at 6500rpm and 243 lbft of torque at 5000 revs. A ZF five-speed manual and limited-slip differential directed power to the rear wheels and the the M1 could top 165 mph. Now fully factory-fettled the Eighties icon should be back up to full speed once again.
“This project has been a labor of love,” said Fieg. “Rebuilding this Italian-designed, German-engineered icon through my lens has been an incredible journey. Techno Violet on the M1 is a dream realized.”
The M1 is the third BMW x Kith collaboration after an M4 and i4 M50 and will make its debut, alongside a capsule collection, on December 6 at the Kith for BMW Showcase at the 1111 Lincoln Road parking garage in Miami Florida as part of Miami Art Basel. If the new pink Jag isn’t your aesthetic perhaps this purple Beemer will appeal instead?
Report by Nik Berg for hagerty.com
