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Meet The Mechanic With A Multi-Million Dollar BMW M1 Collection
Jun. 09, 2022 7:30 PM ET by Gerhard Horn Supercars / 10 Comments How a humble mechanic ended up with millions worth of BMW ultimate driving machines. The BMW M1 may have been the beginning of Bimmer's respected M Division, but it was a bit of a fail when it was new. These days you can expect to pay around $500,000 for a pristine example, while the Procar racing version is essentially priceless. So how did Fritz Wagner end up with three? We first need to understand the racing heritage of the M1. The M1 was BMW's first mid-engined car, and it was built to take on the likes of Ferrari. BMW fans had to wait decades for the second mid-engined model, which turned out to be the i8. BMW teamed up with Lamborghini, but that relationship didn't pan out as you'd expect. Ironically, Lamborghini would eventually turn to another German manufacturer to keep itself from fading into obscurity. BMW Group Classis/YouTube BMW Group Classis/YouTube BMW Group Classis/YouTube BMW Group Classis/YouTube So, BMW went at it alone. To promote the vehicle, it entered the M1 into the famous but now defunct World Sportscar Championship. It was the whole race on Sunday sell on Monday deal. To help produce enough homologation cars, BMW started the one-make Procar series, which served as an opening act for F1 races. Many F1 drivers competed in this series, and Fritz Wagner was a mechanic for the Cassani Racing Team. Wagner's story begins in 1979 with the start of the Procar Series. The series was short-lived and only took place in 1979 and 1980. But that would not be the end of Wagner's story with the M1 Procar. In 1981 Helmut Marko asked Wagner to build a Procar "Pub Design" to race at Le Mans. It was called the Pub Car because four pubs sponsored the car, and each pub owned a quarter of the vehicle. These days Marko spends his time annoying F1 fans. BMW Group Classis/YouTube BMW Group Classis/YouTube BMW Group Classis/YouTube BMW Group Classis/YouTube Wagner noticed a strange phenomenon taking place during these races. Instead of fixing stuff, the racing teams simply used brand-new parts. So Wagner started buying all the used parts and ended up with a massive hoard of BMW M1 Procar parts. It's like an episode of Hoarders, but for BMW nerds. Eventually, Wagner realized he had enough parts to assemble full cars. Though it's not that clear from the video, he appears to have at least three full models, all made from original parts. Wagner isn't precious about the cars either. He regularly takes them out for a drive or to a race. As a bonus, Wagner also owns the only M1 prototype built by Lamborghini. BMW is currently in the process of converting said prototype to run on hydrogen power. He wants to sell some of the cars to the original racers like Nelson Piquet, but he's more than happy to keep them himself if they don't want them. BMW Group Classis/YouTube BMW Group Classis/YouTube BMW Group Classis/YouTube BMW Group Classis/YouTube Join The Discussion
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BMW i8 Coupe BMW XM BMW M3 Sedan Gerhard Horn Senior Editor Gerhard knew from a young age that he wanted to be an automotive journalist. He completely disappointed his parents by completing degrees in communication and English, as well as diplomas in graphic design and film and art appreciation. He later interned at various automotive publications, before landing a permanent position at a newspaper. He became the editor within two years, after which he landed a job as the deputy editor at a national publication, where he spent eight years traveling the world, driving, and writing. In his current role as senior editor, he writes news, reviews, scripts, and opinion pieces. When he’s not supposed to be working, you’ll probably find him working. When he’s forced to take a break, you’ll find him at the movies, or behind the wheel of a ‘92 NA Miata called Kimiko. Contact Gerhard @GrootScreenGerhard LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top