BMW Technik GmbH (currently BMW Forschung und Technik, or Research and Technology) is celebrating 25 years of concepts, innovation, design, and technology. The people employed in the division are responsible for some of the zaniest concepts to ever come from beneath the Roundel.
The subsidiary company was founded as BMW Technik GmbH in 1985. In the early years, the division's main focus of activities was defined as "the development and construction of concept vehicles".
These include the 1988 Z1 Coupe that was based on BMW Technik's very first project, the limited production Z1 roadster.
However, in 2003, the Bavarian automaker rebranded the division as "BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH", shifting focus to developing technology that encompassed all types of BMW vehicles.
The 200 or so people currently working for the division are responsible for developing technologies in the areas of vehicle engineering, hydrogen, alternative drive and energy management concepts, active safety and driver assistance systems, as well as information and communication.
Here are some of the projects developed by BMW Technik over the years:
- A 1-Series-based fuel-cell hybrid,
- IT-Motive 2020 (a vehicle for in-car communication/information tech testing),
- Z13 (a rear-engined BMW Beetle with a McLaren seating arrangement),
- E1 (BMW's "premiere in the sphere of electric vehicles...the four-seater...provided a range of up to 200 kilometers and a top speed of 120 km/h")
- Z18 (a Z1-style, V8-engined, 4WD off-road buggy with a "variable interior")
- Just 4/2 (BMW's roofless, windowless, fender-less pre-Atom Atom with a 100-horsepower 4-cylinder out back)
- Z22 (a CFRP-bodied test bed for technologies like an "electromechanical braking system, cameras instead of wing and rear mirrors, adaptive headlights, Head-up Display and central control unit")
- Z29 Coupe (powered by the M3's I6 and built with lots of carbon fiber, plastic, and aluminum, it provided "a weight-to-power ratio of 3.4 kg/hp and an acceleration ratio of 4.4 seconds for the sprint from a standing start to 100 km/h - 62mph")
Enjoy the high-res gallery below.
- By Phil Alex
