According to Motor1, the BMW Z13 was the brainchild of BMW Technik GmbH; the brand’s interpretation of a comfortable, dependable, and fuel-efficient roundabout. It looked unlike any car that BMW was building back then, but its styling is not what got us hooked on this retro-fantastic concept car. It has a central driver’s seat like in a McLaren F1, and BMW was kind enough to install a pair of rear seats that offers plenty of legroom, given the unusual interior layout.
It also has a short nose (with tiny kidney grilles) and an expansive windshield that stretches to the roof. Meanwhile, the rear design is similar to the BMW i3 EV, a brilliant electric car that happens to be the brand’s first-ever production EV. And like the F1, the BMW Z13 has a rear-mounted engine — although it’s not quite a V12.
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Instead, the Z13 has a meager 1.1-liter inline four-cylinder derived from a BMW K100 touring bike, pumping out a modest 82 horsepower. It has a Ford-sourced CVT transmission that sends power to the rear wheels. Motor1 adds there were plans to mass-produce the Z13 concept if BMW had not bought Mini and the Rover Group in 1994. If it did enter production, it would have been quite a city car, with its generous array of hi-tech features like satellite navigation and a fax machine (heard of it?).
