A BMW that you did not know yet, that of course does not qualify as a BMW fanb00i. We hereby introduce you. Don't mention it.
These are turbulent times for every car brand and certainly also for BMW. Last year the sales figures were again very good. But what will happen next for the brand from Bavaria? It is of course a relatively small independent party that will probably have to go along with the electric current of peoples in one way or another. Will all this work in terms of investments? And what are the unique selling points even if it's not a creamy straight-six?
The future is uncertain, but fortunately BMW already has an illustrious past behind it. Such that there is also a museum and a mysterious warehouse containing all kinds of prototypes. Such as the BMW Turbo X1 from 1972. And the BMW E53 X5 Le Mans with the V12 that was also in the McLaren F1. And many more such specials.
However, we have not seen the BMW AVT concept before. And so there is a chance that you, our dear reader, do not know it yet either. High time to change that. The AVT was recently put in the spotlight by BMW designer Domagoj Dukec. This good man is not the best friend of the classic BMW enthusiast given the designs he brings to the market. But hey, by sharing the family photos, he makes up for something.
Dukec previously shared early sketches of what eventually became the BMW Z3. As well as photos of a concept for a Spyder, internally called E1. The latter is not to be confused with what BMW would eventually show to the world as E1. That was a rare ugly electric bowler hat from 1991.
But now it is it's the turn of the AV. To start with the name: AVT is an abbreviation that stands for a nice long German word that describes it exactly. Kinda like Salzkartoffeln or Rostzwiebeln. In this case it's about Aerodynamic more Versuchsträger. Because the concept was intended to celebrate (and test) BMW's new wind tunnel. After all, that became a thing in the late 70s and early 80s.
It's not like the AVT is just a sketch and nothing else. The car was really built, in 'full size'. Only, there was no interior. And probably no engine either. It was just a fun thing for press photos, to put it disrespectfully. A nice detail is that the color scheme is the same as that of German ICE trains. The nose of the car also looks a bit like that. Of course, the colors of M GmbH are also represented on the car.
Although the AVT did not go into production, it is funny to see that some shapes are very recognizable from modern aerodynamic wonders. The tail, for example, looks exactly like that of the Volkswagen XL1. production BMWs have never really looked like the AVT. Maybe at most the E31 8-Series a little, in terms of nose with folding headlights and – yes – small kidney grilles.
It doesn't really make us greedy either. The car is not nearly production-ready enough for that. And the front overhang also takes on a dubious size. But hey, it's a nice insight into the wonderful history of BMW.
This article You didn't know this big BMW from 1981 first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
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