The BMW M1 was introduced in 1978. The first BMW model to be mid-engined, the M1 had a troubled birth, but has gone on to become an iconic BMW car. The M1 was created to be a racing car, and the road going version was necesarry for homologation. BMW had hired Lamborghini to produce the cars, but numerous problems along the way forced BMW to take over the project completely. Due to this production problem, the M1 is the first car completely developed by BMW Motorsport. Powered by BMW's M88/1 straight six engine, the M1 achieved relative success on the racetrack. A total of 453 examples of the M1 were built, with 399 examples being built for the road, and 54 examples for motorsport.