Concept Car of the Week: BMW Spicup (1969)

The oddly named Spicup, standing for Spider and Coupé, was first presented at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show. Carozzeria Bertone had previous collaborations with BMW such as the 3200CS coupe by Giugiaro. The friendship between Nuccio Bertone and Willhelm Hoffmeister, head of bodywork construction at BMW, must have also contributed to the brand agreeing to provide an early pre-production of the E3 generation 2500 saloon as a base for the concept.

It came with the top-end 2.8-litre straight six pushing 168bhp. With a wheelbase shortened from 2,690mm to 2,340mm, the overall length was reduced to only 4,150mm. The result is rather heavy, with a high beltline and a thick rear fender. Silver finishers at the bottom are an elegant attempt to visually lighten the car, but ultimately in vain.

The aggressive face is the most successful element of the car, with the semi-concealed headlamps with motorized flaps typical of Gandini, recalling the Alfa Montreal, Iso Lele or the Lamborghini Jarama. The flush chromed bumpers and the four circular perforations contribute to the unique character of the front. The inspiration might have come from American muscle cars with a large grey scoop fixed to the air filter, which remains in place when the hood is opened.

Moving onto the concept's real party piece, its roof made of stainless steel panels that glide smoothly into a hefty and disgraceful roll bar, part of which inspired the Fiat X1/9. A second switch lowered the rear window should you desire the full convertible 'wind in your hair' experience.

The sharp lines of the interior designed by Eugenio Pagliano contrasts with the curvy exterior. A double-winged dashboard is reminiscent of a Corvette C2, and two spaceship seats with hexagonal inserts provide a futuristic environment finished in brash tones of lemon green, olive and silver. A nice detail is the glovebox lid that slides right to left to mimic the roof mechanism.

The green machine carried on its show car duties for another year before being sold to an enthusiastic owner who racked up 100,000km driving it between Germany and the Netherlands. The body was sprayed orange and the cabin in black. The strong BMW components never missed a beat but as you'd expect, the foldable roof wasn't perfectly watertight.

In the ‘80s, it was stored and hidden away until 2008 when a Belgian collector bought it with the unique purpose of restoring it to its former glory. After only seven months, it began its second life at the 2009 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este resprayed in its original green color fully up-and-running.

Not ugly, but not really pretty either, the Spicup concept was not Gandini's finest hour, but it helped maintain the relationship between BMW and Bertone. This led to Gandini designing the 1970 BMW 2200ti Garmisch show car, the foundation for the first E12 5 series.

Exterior designer Marcello Gandini
Interior designer Eugenio Pagliano
Length 4,150mm
Width 1,780mm
Wheelbase 2,340mm
Height 1,207mm
Engine Inline 6, 2,788cc
Power 168bhp
Weight 1,330kg

By Flavien Dachet