Topping the bill is a 1980 BMW M1 - the original M car and still the most exotic to ever wear the badge. Fewer than 400 were built, and this one, finished in Henna Red with period chequered cloth, has had just three owners. Its 3.5-litre M88 straight-six is in rude health, and bidding has already passed £150,000 - a sign of just how coveted the M1 remains. The catch? You’ll need to import it from Johannesburg.

Another standout is a quartet of E46 M3 CSLs spanning all four corners of the globe. There’s a low-mileage German car, a rare Hong Kong-registered version, and two from the UK. All four are painted Silver Grey. Despite the stripped-back ethos of the car, expect the hammer prices to be anything but lightweight.

The E39 M5 also makes a case for itself as the perfect modern classic. This 59,000-mile example is finished in Le Mans Blue with two-tone leather. For many, it remains peak supersaloon, pairing large capacity V8 grunt with a six-speed manual and the kind of subtle menace that defined M’s golden years.

Our personal favourite is this Z3 M Coupé. Again one of four offered, this Estoril Blue example is the only one equipped with the later S54 straight-six lifted from the E46 M3. The hugely characterful “clown-shoe” might not be the most refined M car, but it’s certainly the most distinctive, and we love it all the more for it.

Another famous skunkworks project is the BMW 1M. The first turbocharged M car, bidding has already exceeded £30,000 on this Valencia Orange car, built in 2011. 

Add to that an E30 M3 Convertible in Macau Blue, a freshly refinished E28 M5, an E9 3.0 CSL, several E92 M3’s, a low-mileage M2 CS, an M4 GTS and The M Collection begins to look less like an auction and more like a museum you can drive.

Bidding closes Sunday the 27th of April. Find the full lot list here.