Still complaining about the new design of the BMW grilles? Are you still thinking that this ‘vertical’ approach is wrong? Well, you might want to count your blessings because, as it turns out, BMW has been mulling this design over for quite some time now. The guys from BMW Classic published a new video online and they are checking out some of the older concepts put together by the Bavarian company, concepts that have never seen the light of day before.
As you’re about to see, one of them might seem oddly familiar today. It’s a BMW E38 7 Series with a front fascia that’s way different than how the real-life production model turned out. Unfortunately, the guys don’t really talk about it but it looks absolutely mad, reminding me of the Russian Aurus Senat car to some extent. Just imagine the beloved E38 coming out like that…
Then there’s the BMW ICE (Integrated Concept Engineering) which was basically a BMW X5 underneath the sheet metal, with looks that remind us of the E63 6 Series generation. On top of those X5 underpinnings, the ICE had a BMW Z4 interior with a little backseat too, becoming a sort of 2+2 Coupe model. A real crossover that was done back in the early 2000s. It never made it into production but it was built to sort of check out what solutions the engineers and designers had for the future.
It was, by all accounts, the precursor to the Sports Activity Coupe models we have today. According to BMW, this car was the basis for another concept, the BMW X Coupe concept that was an SUV with two doors and was actually a show car, unlike the ICE which never left the factory.
The ICE also had other tricks up its sleeve. For example, the tailgate was designed so that it could open in a number of ways, to accommodate various items, such as bikes, for those with an active lifestyle.
