Contemporary Witness

Fritz Wagner

Photo © Uwe Fischer

Fritz Wagner

Fritz Wagner’s passion for the BMW M1 began in 1979 with the private Procar team of Manfred Cassani.

The black BMW M1 Procar (VIN #062) with its distinctive white UHER lettering made headlines not only on the racetracks, but also brought joy to many children’s rooms thanks to the remote-controlled M1 UHER model by Schuco.

The Cassani team — with driver Hans-Joachim Stuck and the mechanics led by Fritz Wagner — was highly successful during the inaugural Procar season in 1979, finishing in an outstanding second place behind overall winner Niki Lauda.

As the best privateer, Hans-Joachim Stuck won a BMW M1 road version, which, according to tradition, was handed over to team owner Manfred Cassani.

This success story dates back almost exactly 45 years, but Fritz Wagner has remained dedicated to his work and his passion for the BMW M1 ever since. The skills, knowledge, spare parts, and BMW M1 racing cars he has accumulated over the years are absolutely unique worldwide and deserve our utmost respect!

I had the pleasure of meeting Fritz Wagner at the Techno Classica in 2017, where he presented the very first BMW M1 prototype — the “P1” built by Lamborghini in Sant’Agata Bolognese — to an astonished classic car audience. Together with then BMW M1 Club president Wolfgang Melter, he explained to me the numerous differences between the M1 prototype and the later production models.

April 21, 2024 / Erich Matter