The Forgotten BMW Concept Car That’s Still Futuristic Today

It turns out the M1 did have a son: a BMW concept car called the Nazca M12. It wasn’t just a spiritual successor worthy of carrying the BMW supercar name; its scintillating design was also the product of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s son, Fabrizio (via BMW). In fact, the young Giugiaro was only 26 when he came up with the Nazca M12’s iconic looks, which consisted of aerodynamic contours, gullwing windows, carbon fiber frame, and overall Formula 1-esque aesthetics. It’s safe to say BMW’s supercar concept turned a lot of heads when it was first showcased during the 1991 Geneva Motor Show.

Just like BMW’s 750i and 850i, the Nazca M12 utilized a monstrous 5.0-liter V12 producing 300 horsepower. Two more BMW concept cars based on the Nazca M12 were showcased years later, namely the C2 and C2 Spider, with the open-top variant even sporting a beefier V12 engine that reached 380 horsepower, according to its designers at Italdesign. But the thing is, the BMW supercar successor didn’t go through production at all. Although the concept cars were introduced in 1992 and 1993, the lineup never went past the concept phase. Does this mean the world never got to see a BMW Nazca M12 supercar on the road? Well, not exactly.