Masakuni Hosobuchi, a Japanese entrepreneur with a huge obsession with BMW M cars, has taken delivery of one of the most unique Bimmers in the whole world. It is a 1979 BMW M1 Procar racing machine, fully restored by BMW Group Classic specifically for him.

BMW Classic has an exclusive “customer shop” where customers can come and pick up their cars and even witness the work that’s being done on it. It is a unique environment, and something very close to Nirvana for a die-had BMW fan!

Hosobuchi is certainly one such fan, being the President of the BMW Club Japan and an avid collector of BMW M vehicles. Collecting his BMW M1 Procar at the shop, he commented: “BMWs are my great passion, and the Procar definitely will get a place of honor in my collection. It was very important to me to restore the car to its former glory after so many years of racing. And who could have done a better job than the manufacturers themselves? It also gives me great pleasure to pick up this classic car right here at BMW Welt, amidst all the new vehicles.”

BMW M1 Procar used to be the star of its own one-make racing series back in 1979 and 1980, in a series of races preceding the Formula One events. Among the F1 stars who appeared in these races there are Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet, the latter also driving this particular M1 to a class win in the 1,000-km of Nordschleife race in 1980. In total 54 BMW M1 Procars were built.