This year the BMW M1 celebrates its anniversary – the mid-engine sports car has been a BMW icon for 40 years now. Former BMW Motorsport Director Jochen Neerpasch looks back on an exciting time.

BMW Group Plant Munich is ready for the production of the next vehicle generation. The manufacturing equipment has been installed in the new body shop and assembly line, and functional checks have been successfully completed. During this so-called "Common Function Test," every system undergoes dry runs, in which production planners and plant technicians put the machinery through its paces. All production steps are executed without any parts in the system. Cycle by cycle, an invisible vehicle takes shape. Although no actual car is produced, this process provides the certainty that everything operates seamlessly and as planned.