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You can buy the actual BMW M1 that Niki Lauda won as a championship trophy in 1979

Published on Dec 22, 2025 at 5:51 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid

Last updated on Dec 22, 2025 at 5:51 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by Claire Reid

It’s not every day you get the chance to snap up a piece of automotive history, but next month the ‘trophy’ BMW M1 that was given to F1 champ Niki Lauda is going under the hammer. 

Lauda was given the trophy for winning the 1979 ProCar series. 

It was built especially for Lauda and is one of just 399 road-legal M1s ever made. 

And now the car is about to cross the auction block, but it comes with a steep valuation. 

DISCOVER SBX CARS – The global premium auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie  

The 1980 BMW M1 was built for Niki Lauda

Andreas Nikolaus ‘Niki’ Lauda was born in 1949 in Austria and had an F1 career that spanned decades, before he passed away in 2019 at the age of 70.

During his career, Lauda won three F1 World Driver’s Championship titles and 25 Grands Prix across 13 seasons.

It’s not every day you get the chance to snap up a piece of automotive history, but next month the ‘trophy’ BMW M1 that was given to F1 champ Niki Lauda is going under the hammer.
Mecum
It’s not every day you get the chance to snap up a piece of automotive history, but next month the ‘trophy’ BMW M1 that was given to F1 champ Niki Lauda is going under the hammer.
Mecum

He’s also the only driver to have won a World Driver’s Championship with both Ferrari and McLaren. 

In 1979, Lauda won the ProCar series and was given a 1980 BMW M1 as a trophy. 

And while any M1 is a big deal, this one is extra special. 

It was built especially for Lauda, and features the rare ProCar-styling front air dam and rear louvers. 

It sits on white 16-inch Campagnolo staggered wheels and is an official BMW Art Car, as it was hand-painted by German artist Walter Maurer. 

It’s not every day you get the chance to snap up a piece of automotive history, but next month the ‘trophy’ BMW M1 that was given to F1 champ Niki Lauda is going under the hammer.
Mecum

The interior is finished in blue leather, and it comes with air conditioning, a Becker Europa sound system, and power windows. 

Under the hood, the BMW M1 has a 3.5-liter 24 valve inline 6-cylinder engine paired with a 5-speed manual transmission, which has an output of 266 horsepower. 

Although it’s 45 years old, the BMW M1 has just 2,644 miles on the clock and is in top-notch condition. 

It goes under the hammer next month and is expected to fetch a large sum

BMW built just 399 road-going M1 cars between 1978 and 1981 making them a particularly rare find. 

But, of course, this particular example also has its own impressive heritage and history, making it stand apart from other examples. 

It’s not every day you get the chance to snap up a piece of automotive history, but next month the ‘trophy’ BMW M1 that was given to F1 champ Niki Lauda is going under the hammer.
Mecum

So, as you might expect, it’s slated to fetch a high price when it goes under the hammer at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction on January 17, 2026. 

The car has been given a valuation of between $625,000 and $675,000.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.