Here are some inspiring BMW concept cars

Rare ONES The concept car created for many purposes, one of the main points is leading to the future car with the cutting-edge design and technology, is planned to be as car production, have more value and sometimes are not mass-produced.

Here are some inspiring BMW concept cars of 1972, BMW 1602 Electro-Atrieb (left) and BMW E25 Turbo (right). (Pictures from: Wikipedia and Dexigner)

Over the years under the tight supervision of the BMW's top brass, this Bavarian auto company had commissioned renowned designers, groups of design students and even the company's skilled engineers and technicians to develop and demonstrate their work in building many concept cars.

Here they are 5 (five) BMW's concept cars came out under such a unique crazy to brilliant ideas, and perhaps you have never known before;

1. 1972 BMW 1602 Electro-Antrieb

At first glance this concept car looks no different than its donor BMW 1602 regular model powered by conventional combustion engine, and produced at the beginning of the 70s. But before being officially shown for the first time in public at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, the car was changed in such a way into electric motor driven car, and called BMW 1602 Elektro-Antrieb.

1972 BMW 1602 Electro-Atrieb. (Picture from: ZigWheels)

Well, its original 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine was swapped with a 32kW electric motors and equipped with half a ton weighted batery system which was very different with the modern days batery that can be recharged, if the BMW 1602 Electro-Antrieb's batery discharged must be replaced with new ones.

1972 BMW 1602 Electro-Atrieb. (Picture from: Wikimedia)

Can you imagine how impractical this old school electric car is? However, this concept has been an inspiration for BMW's today electric-powered vehicles, without this concept car it will not be created based BMW Active 1 Coupe series in 2000 and also the brand with the initial "i".

2. 1972 BMW E25 Turbo
The BMW E25 Turbo launched in the same year with the BMW 1602 Electro-Atrieb concept car debut and also intended to celebrate the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. It was designed by Paul Bracq, with gullwing doors and was built based on a modified 2002 chassis with a mid-mounted engine.

1972 BMW E25 Turbo. (Picture from: Modifikasi)

The Turbo featured a 276 hp turbocharged version of the engine from the BMW 2002, foam-filled front and rear sections to absorb impact, side impact beams, a braking distance monitor utilizing radar, and a futuristic roll cage cockpit.

1972 BMW E25 Turbo. (Picture from: FavCars)

Only two were ever built. BMW later used the Turbo's design themes on the M1, the 8 Series, the Z1 and the 2008 M1 Homage Concept, however the BMW E-25 is most similar to the BMW M1.

3. 1988 BMW Z1 Coupe

The late 80's and early 90's was a period of experimentation to the BMW models evolution. For example, this BMW Z1 Coupe, which most historians argues that this BMW concept was a part of the family Z1s to be developed next.

1988 BMW Z1 Coupe. (Picture from: id.Motor1)

Well, the prototype was made from the BMW's special division called BMW Technik GmbH in 1988 (now known as BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH). The division was created to develop concept cars, make prototypes, and then mass-produce them if they passed all the stages. If you examine the shape, it is clear that this prototype is present as the final stage before the BMW Z1 is mass produced.

1988 BMW Z1 Coupe. (Picture from: Modifikasi)

Like its roadster model, the BMW Z1 Coupe has a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) body featured with strange door style, instead of the door opening in the conventional way, the BMW Z1 door moves down and then sinks into the body. Besides that the coupe model appeared in slightly differ with a such unique elongated front fascia and rear bulging. At the end BMW decided to produce the BMW Z3 M Coupe based on this such controversial car concept in 1999.

4. 1995 BMW Z18

Long before the BMW product planners knew and can be uttered the word of "Crossover," in fact they already had its forerunner named BMW Z18. Basically the prototype has a body made of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) and is equipped with the features found in 1990s model cars.

1995 BMW Z18. (Picture from: Motor1)

Actually, BMW Z18 aimed to fuse the adventurous world of enduro motorbikes, off-road buggies and posing in a convertible, then put together by designers and engineers from BMW’s renegade R&D division set up in the Eighties.

1995 BMW Z18. (Picture from: Modifikasi)

It was created back in 1995, and it predated the X5 by four years, so no wonder if we could be said that the Z18 was actually BMW's first 4x4 vehicle. Unlike the X5, if you will, it could be a cabrio roled as an off-roadster,  or to be a two/four seater pickup, thanks to a secret pair of chairs under the rear deck, and is powered by a 4.4 liter V8 engine was later fitted to the X5.

5. 1995 BMW Z21 Just 4/2
By sharing the similar body styles with Ariel Atom, the BMW Just 4/2 concept reminds us how's simple this kind of "Exoskeleton" model vehicle was. How's could it be? As you can see the BMW Just 4/2 uses a 1.1 liter 4-cylinder engine taken from the BMW K1100 motorcycle.

1995 BMW Z21 Just 4/2. (Picture from: Modifikasi)

Created by the same skilled engineers at BMW Technik GmbH in charge of the Z18 from the same year, the Z21 was far from being your typical open-top BMW. The main philosophy behind the one-off project was to come up with a no-frills performance car with the engine mounted in the back sending power to the rear wheels.

1995 BMW Z21 Just 4/2. (Picture from: Motor1)

The door panels can be removed at any time if needed. If this car is mass produced, certainly needs to be fitted windscreen, the airbag and many other safety features should been applied also to it. Unfortunately, this BMW Z21 Just 4/2 concept was built just for fun and there weren’t any plans to put it into production lines.

Bonus: 1991 BMW Nazca Series

In the early 1990s, Italdesign, one of the famous Italian coachbuilders is responsible for preparing some of the most memorable concept cars for BMW. And the BMW Nazca Series is featured with wide body represent a shift change in the characteristic of BMW design, and off course along with its typical twin-kidney grille design..

1991 BMW Nazca C2. (Picture from: Modifikasi)

Those mentioned concept series began with the Nazca M12 launched in 1991, continued with the Nazca C2 Coupe in 1992 and had become a star in Need for Speed ​​III powered by the Alpina-tuned 5.0-liter V12. After all those carbon fiber coupe concepts finally the Italian coachbuilder made open-top models named Nazca C2 Spider. If curious and wanna see the completed story about these concept car series, plz jump here! *** [EKA [25082015] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CARTHROTTLE | BAURSPOTTING | WIKIPEDIA | MOTOR1 | DEXIGNER ]

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