BMW – Nazca C2

Vehicle Overview

The M12 was the first car designed by Giugiaro’s son, Fabrizio and incorporated design elements from Group C race cars. The car achieved a drag coefficient of Cd=0.26 when tested in the BMW windtunnel. The car had a carbon fibre body construction also using the material for the construction of the space frame. Due to this, the car weighed a total of 1,100 kg. The engine cover and front of the car were made from a single piece of molded carbon fibre. The car had a glass engine cover which displayed the 5.0 litre V12 engine shared with the BMW 850i. The engine generated a power output of 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS). The car had a unique door mechanism which had conventional doors and windows opening in a gull-wing arrangement.

A year later in 1992, the Nazca C2 was introduced. The C2 had a redesigned front (the headlamps were relocated beside of the kidney grille) and a modified engine. Italdesign had engaged the German automobile manufacturer Alpina into the project. Alpina modified the engine and as a result, the engine gained an additional 50 hp. This engine was shared with the Alpina B12 5.7. Additionally, the C2 also had fixed racing seats and three spoilers at the rear to signify its race inspired status. The C2 also weighed a claimed 100 kg less than the preceding M12. The car was intended as an official replacement for the BMW M1, but BMW was hesitant at producing another mid-engined sports car after the M1 had been a failure, so they pulled the plug. BMW allowed ItalDesign to use their name and grille solely on the 3 concept cars built.