AUTOCULT - BMW - 1600ti COUPE PAUL BRACQ GERMANY 1969

An important step on the way to success In the second half of the 1960s BMW planned to enter the lucrative US-market. It was the era in which two-seated, British roadster delighted the hearts of the sportive US-drivers and also Mercedes-Benz prepared to enter the US-market with its two-seated SL. Apparently the management of BMW assessed its own capabilities in making such a car in-house as not good enough so that they contacted the French designer Paul Bracq. The fact that the French was no longer under contract to Mercedes-Benz, but got his salary from the French body maker Brissonneau & Lotz since 1967, played into BMW’s hands. The first approach to the 34 year old French was made in the very same year. He received the order to design a coupe with a V-8 engine for the US-market. Even the potential production of the car body was not planned to take place in-house, which was quite unusual for BMW in view of their common production procedure. The potential production of the car body was held out in prospect to the French specialists Brissonneau & Lotz. The design of Paul Bracq was primarily defined by a long-drawn and masculine front end, which additionally centrally converged into a gently formed wedge. The project got the designation 1600 Ti Concept, which indicates that its engine based on the series 02. But this type designation would have implied that the car was planned to be fitted with just a four-cylinder engine. By far not strong enough to satisfy the expectations in performance of the US-buyers. This was probably also the reason why the US-market offensive has stalled. As far as is known there has never been a running prototype. In fact the built mockup served only as a visual example, although it was fitted with a license plate of Munich.