Audacious Harmony - When automotive brands search for the future, they often look beyond their own walls, borrowing fresh perspectives to challenge familiar ideas. In the late 1960s,
BMW was doing exactly that—balancing its growing reputation for refined performance with a curiosity for bold design experiments. One of the most fascinating results of this mindset was a little-known concept car that blended German engineering with Italian creativity:
the BMW 2800 Spicup Concept by Bertone.
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| The BMW 2800 Spicup Concept, designed by Stilo Bertone with Marcello Gandini playing a key role, emerged as a fully functional spider-coupe hybrid. (Picture from: Pinterest) |
The story of the Spicup cannot be separated from BMW’s earlier collaboration with Bertone.
At the start of the 1960s,
BMW needed
a successor to the aging 503 Coupe and turned to the Turin-based design house for help. That partnership produced
the 3200 CS V8, unveiled in
1961,
a coupe admired for its clean proportions,
elegant restraint,
and unmistakable BMW kidney grille.
Although only around 600 units were built before production ended in 1965,
the project forged a strong relationship between BMW and Nuccio Bertone, who went on to advise the brand during a crucial period of stylistic evolution.
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| The BMW 2800 Spicup Concept was crafted using a BMW 2500 chassis shortened by 30 centimeters, allowing Bertone to create something far more experimental than the production E9—less a refinement, more a provocation. (Picture from: MyCarQuest) |
By the end of the decade,
BMW had moved forward with
the in-house–designed 2800 CS (E9),
based on the new six-cylinder E3 sedan.
This model introduced the straight-six engine architecture that would become central to BMW’s identity. Even so,
BMW did not forget Bertone and invited the studio to reinterpret the 2800 coupe through its own lens.
Using a BMW 2500 chassis shortened by 30 centimeters,
Bertone set out to create something far more experimental than the production E9—less a refinement, more a provocation.
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| The BMW 2800 Spicup Concept featured two-tone green surfaces flowing across the dashboard, seats, and carpets, giving the interior the feel of a daring design studio experiment rather than a showroom-ready car. (Picture from: MyCarQuest) |
Designed by Stilo Bertone with Marcello Gandini playing a key role,
the BMW 2800 Spicup emerged as
a fully functional spider-coupe hybrid.
Its defining feature was a removable roof made of two panels that slid into a prominent T-bar,
giving the car its “Spicup” name. The exterior carried subtle echoes of contemporary Italian concepts, including a front end reminiscent of
the Alfa Romeo Montreal,
while still preserving BMW’s double kidney grille.
Semi-hidden headlights with motorized flaps added a theatrical touch, signaling that this was a concept meant to be noticed rather than domesticated.
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| The BMW 2800 Spicup Concept powered by a 2.8-liter inline-six producing around 170 horsepower, paired with a four-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels. (Picture from: CarStyling.ru) |
Inside,
the Spicup was even more daring.
The cabin featured an unconventional mix of green,
yellow,
and silver skai upholstery, l
ater recreated in leather during restoration due to the unavailability of the original materials.
Two-tone green surfaces flowed across the dashboard,
seats,
and carpets,
creating an interior that felt closer to a design studio experiment than a showroom-ready car. Under the skin, the concept was powered by
a 2.8-liter inline-six producing around 170 horsepower,
paired with a four-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels. Apart from the gauges and pedals, nearly everything was bespoke, reinforcing just how far
Bertone had pushed the base platform. | nlM9Y847Nhg |
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| The BMW 2800 Spicup Concept was unveiled at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show but proved too radical for BMW’s production strategy, remaining a one-off prototype. (Picture from: MyCarQuest) |
Unveiled at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show,
the BMW 2800 Spicup was ultimately too radical for
BMW’s production strategy and never moved beyond prototype form.
Sold off after its show duties, it lived an unexpectedly long life on public roads, covering more than 100,000 kilometers before being restored decades later by dedicated collectors. Today,
the Spicup stands as a vivid reminder of a time when
BMW was willing to experiment openly, and when design houses like
Bertone could shape not just how cars looked, but how boldly manufacturers imagined their future.
*** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ULTIMATECARPAGE | SUPERCARS.NET | MYCARQUEST | CARSTYLINGRU | WIKIPEDIA | PINTEREST ]Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.
