BMW Spicup Concept

The BMW Spicup Concept was first unveiled by automotive designers Carrozzeria Bertone over 40 years ago at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show. And during that year, it also made stops at the Frankfurt Motor Show before it was eventually purchased by a Dutch motor enthusiast a couple of years later. Unlike conventional concept cars, the Spicup was built with the road in mind. Stock parts that went into the design included a BMW 2000 CS chassis and a 2.8-litre chronicle SOHC straight-six engine. Its owner drove the automobile for approximately 10 years and covered 100,000 kilometers in the process – a record yet to be broken by any other one-off vehicle until today. The unconventional design features a special novel roof mechanism, that consisted of immaculate steel panels, meanwhile its headlamps were designed by Marcello Gandini who famously created the 1970 Alfa Romeo Montreal as well as the Lamborghini Jarama. The car was however put in storage by the owner during the 1980s, with sources also indicating that during the period, the car underwent a long process of refinement, reconstruction and restoration before it finally resurfaced in 2008. Forty years after its initial appearance, the BMW Spicup still has its charisma and historical value as it was shown again to the public during the Villa d’Este concours d’élégance in 2009, as well as the BMW Museum during the summer of 2010. Bonhams recently auctioned it off at its POWER by BMW event, where it was sold for a high bid of €460,000 (approximately $600,000 USD).

Source: Autoblog