Rare 1980 BMW M1 (w/ startup)

A rare red 1980 BMW M1 (E26), one of 453 M1's built, arriving at and leaving Cars and Coffee at Crystal Cove Shopping Center.

BMW's M (Motorsports) division is best known today for high-performance variants of existing Bimmer models. Unlike rival AMG which often builds wild, just-because-we-can creations with absurd price tags, M hasn't done nearly as much in terms of show-stopping insanity. But let's not forget that the first BMW sold with the famous M badge was actually a purpose-built mid-engined supercar!

The appropriately-named M1 looks right at home parked next to contemporary Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and it was originally conceived as a collaboration with Lamborghini though those plans eventually fell apart. BMW didn't sell another mid-engined car until the i8 was introduced over three decades later, and that was fundamentally a very different type of vehicle. The M1 remains one of the most distinctive Bimmers ever made with its angular shape, double rear emblems, and wheels that remind me a little of the South Korean flag. I think it's definitely one of the coolest production BMWs of all time, and I hope today's designers will look to it as proof that you don't need an oversized grille to look good.

Do you think BMW should build another mid-engined supercar? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!