{"id":84659,"date":"2026-01-19T12:03:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T17:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84659"},"modified":"2026-01-19T12:03:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T17:03:06","slug":"bmw-m1-procar-liveries-favorite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84659","title":{"rendered":"The BMW M1 Procar\u2019s Liveries Were Half the Show\u2014Pick the Best One"},"content":{"rendered":"

The BMW M1 Procar<\/a> series only lasted two years, yet it still feels weirdly modern: identical cars, absurd driver lineup, and racing that mattered because nobody had a mechanical excuse. BMW ran it as a support show at European Formula 1 weekends in 1979 and 1980\u2014five of the fastest F1 qualifiers dropped into matching M1s and went door-to-door with touring car aces and privateers. But here\u2019s the thing: ask most enthusiasts what they remember first, and you won\u2019t get lap charts. You\u2019ll get paint<\/strong>. The M1 Procar silhouette is already a poster\u2014mid-engine wedge, box flares, huge wing\u2014so when you wrap it in period sponsor graphics, it becomes motorsport pop art whether you meant it to or not.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s do this properly: the most memorable, verifiably real<\/em> M1 Procar (and closely related period M1 race) liveries\u2014plus one N\u00fcrburgring special you just reminded me deserves to be in the conversation.<\/p>\n

The works look: BMW Motorsport stripes, plus peak-\u201879 Marlboro<\/h3>\n

\"side<\/a><\/p>\n

BMW\u2019s own Procar retrospective leans into the basics: the factory M1s in Motorsport colors, the \u201cthis is what BMW M looks like\u201d blueprint that\u2019s echoed for decades.<\/p>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the ultra-period punch of Marlboro<\/strong> on the works entries\u2014one of those combinations (white\/red\/black on a sharp wedge) that simply can\u2019t look bad. This entry was listed with Marlboro sponsorship on a works M1. Those were the days when advertising campaigns had no limits.<\/p>\n

BASF: the target graphic that made a chemical company look cool<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re picking with your eyes, the BASF<\/strong> Procar is a front-runner. BMW Classic itself has highlighted the M1 Procar in \u201cclassic BASF livery,\u201d and it\u2019s hard to argue\u2014those concentric circles look like they were designed around the M1\u2019s angles.<\/p>\n

Cassani\u2019s two-car masterclass: UHER and Kreistelefonbuch<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

Manfred Cassani\u2019s camp basically offered two opposite design philosophies and both landed. Hans-Joachim Stuck\u2019s car wore UHER<\/strong> in a stark, high-contrast scheme, and another entry with \u201cSponsors: UHER\u201d and black\/white colors.<\/p>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

The sister car (Manfred Winkelhock) went full highlighter: Kreistelefonbuch<\/strong> in yellow with black accents black\u2014documented in chassis history as the \u201cyellow and black colors\u201d of its backer.<\/p>\n

Denim: blue-and-white, perfectly tailored to the wedge<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

Some liveries look like they\u2019re fighting the shape. DENIM<\/strong> looks like it\u2019s following the crease lines with a ruler. Chassis history notes that a former Jim Beam-backed car later served in the team\u2019s \u201chandsome blue and white Denim livery\u201d for 1980.<\/p>\n

Jim Beam: the \u201cbooze racing\u201d template done right<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

The Jim Beam car is peak Procar energy\u2014clean white base, bold color blocks, and sponsor placement that doesn\u2019t clutter the body. This 1979 Procar M1 was adorned with \u201cSponsors: JIM BEAM\/WINNEBAGO\u201d and the white\/red\/green color layout. And a separate chassis record confirms the same car appeared in 1979 with Jim Beam backing (plus other period sponsors).<\/p>\n

G\u00f6sser Beer: Austria\u2019s rolling flag<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

You asked for the green one\u2014and yes, it\u2019s a real, properly documented Procar look. Driven by Dieter Queste, this BMW M1 Procar raced with the G\u00f6sser Beer<\/strong>\u00a0sponsors in green\/red\/white colors. (If you\u2019ve ever wanted a livery that looks like it came with a passport stamp, this is it.)<\/p>\n

Buler: the Swiss watch flex<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

Buler belongs in this list because it\u2019s exactly what a one-make \u201ceveryone\u2019s equal\u201d series needs: a crisp, identifiable privateer scheme that looks expensive without being loud. The BMW Schweiz entry had white\/red colors.<\/p>\n

Abel Lepitre: Monaco, champagne, and the right kind of red\/white<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

Walter Brun\u2019s Abel Lepitre<\/strong> sponsorship is one of those combinations that feels impossible to separate from the era. The archives tie Brun\u2019s M1 entries to Abel Lepitre sponsorship and the white\/red colors.<\/p>\n

The N\u00fcrburgring map car: Stuck\/Piquet and \u201cJa zum N\u00fcrburgring\u201d<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

If your favorite M1 livery is the one that looks like someone traced the Nordschleife across the bodywork, you\u2019re not imagining it. BMW Motorsport entered a Procar-bodied M1 as car #201 for the 1980 ADAC 1000km N\u00fcrburgring, and it wore a \u201cJa zum N\u00fcrburgring\u201d<\/strong> design whose graphics echo the circuit itself. With Hans-Joachim Stuck and Nelson Piquet sharing the drive, the M1 finished third overall and topped its class\u2014an M1 that literally carried the \u2018Ring on its skin while it fought at the \u2018Ring<\/p>\n

French flair, Le Mans attitude<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

BMW France \u201cCarte de France<\/strong>\u201d (often linked with Antar). This is the livery for people who love details. The \u201cCarte de France\u201d M1 is literally a map-themed design tied to BMW France\u2019s Le Mans efforts\u2014an idea so French it almost can\u2019t be replicated elsewhere. Period references also connect the concept to Antar sponsorship in the BMW France orbit.<\/p>\n

VSD<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

If you want an M1 wearing proper endurance-racing identity (and some very French team energy), the VSD\/Zol\u2019Auto car is a must-mention, complete with that wonderfully specific driver trio.<\/p>\n

ALPINA and the \u201chow did this exist?\u201d category.<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

There are plenty of modern ALPINA greens and golds that look great, but the black\/white ALPINA-branded M1 competition look is a different flavor\u2014more graphic, more aggressive, and surprisingly natural on the M1\u2019s sharp surfaces.<\/p>\n

Warhol: not Procar, but the M1 livery that transcends motorsport<\/h3>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

The Andy Warhol BMW M1 Art Car isn\u2019t a Procar-series entry\u2014but it\u2019s still a full-race M1 silhouette, and it\u2019s the one that turned the car into a traveling museum piece. Le Mans\u2019 organizers call it an \u201cabsolute icon\u201d and note it finished sixth overall at the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans.<\/p>\n

And yes, there are more<\/em> (because Procar is a livery rabbit hole). Once you start scrolling period entries, you realize the grid was basically a rolling sponsor catalog. RacingSportsCars\u2019 Procar listings show additional flavors like AIR PRESS, MEMPHIS\/SCHNITZER, ARVOR\/TOTAL, and others.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"BMW<\/a><\/p>\n

Your turn<\/h3>\n

Alright: pick one. No ties, no \u201cdepends on the angle,\u201d no \u201ctoday I feel like\u2026\u201d Are you team BASF target, UHER Cassani, Kreistelefonbuch yellow, DENIM blue\/white, Jim Beam, G\u00f6sser green\/red\/white, Buler Swiss clean, Abel Lepitre Monaco, the \u201cJa zum N\u00fcrburgring\u201d map car, or are you going full culture with Warhol?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The BMW M1 Procar series only lasted two years, yet it still feels weirdly modern: identical cars, absurd driver lineup, and racing that mattered because nobody had a mechanical excuse. BMW ran it as a support show at European Formula 1 weekends in 1979 and 1980\u2014five of the fastest F1 qualifiers dropped into matching M1s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/84660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}