Skip advert
Advertisement

BMW 1-Series: Tokyo show 2007: BMW TII concept

Uncompromising 1-Series TII concept influenced by classic ’70S BMWs

British designer Kevin Rice was on hand at Tokyo to talk us through his latest project at BMW, the stunning 1-series tii concept car.According to Rice, the idea of creating a stripped-out 1-series has been kicking around at BMW for a while, with the super-stiff three-box model (which was planned from the start of 1-series development) being viewed as the ideal starting point.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Sat on the BMW stand at the show, the tii looks amazing, production-ready even. I ask Rice how much work had gone into creating it.

‘It was really easy,’ he replies. ‘The front and rear bumpers are all new, the sills are different, and the bonnet was created in carbonfibre. This was done for two reasons: it saves 15kg compared to a standard item and it also recreates the black-bonnet look common on cars like this in the ’70s – cars like the BMW 2002 tii, in fact.’

More work has been done inside to emphasise that this is a true drivers’ car. The standard seats have been ditched in favour of a pair of winged Recaros, the dash now sports a white-faced rev-counter complete with oil temperature gauge, and Alcantara is everywhere, maximising the driver’s grip and minimising reflections. The footwells, meanwhile, are lined with a new textile that gives a similar appearance to the carbonfibre components.

For the driver’s side of the cabin there’s a subtle blue theme, with blue stitching for the seat and door insert, plus a blue seat-belt. The passenger, on the other hand, gets silver seat-belts and stitching and not much else – even the passenger-side electric window can only be operated from the driving seat.

Unfortunately there’s no word as to what’s under the bonnet, or whether the tii will go into production.

‘We’re not saying anything about engines yet,’ says Rice. ‘This is a BMW AG car, not an M-car, so it will not have the six-cylinder M Power engine. We will see what the reaction is to this concept first, but it could be the six-cylinder twin-turbo engine from the 135i or, alternatively, a turbo four-cylinder, like the ultimate version of the original 2002 had.’

So BMW is going to build it then?

‘No comment.’

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

BMW 1-series review – Munich’s Audi A3 rival gains focus
F70 BMW 1-series
In-depth reviews

BMW 1-series review – Munich’s Audi A3 rival gains focus

New styling, interior tech and powertrain options all come as part of the new F70 1-series package, making it a worthy alternative to its closest Germ…
18 Dec 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

VW Golf GTI Clubsport for £6k off – Akrapovic exhaust effectively thrown in free
Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport deal
News

VW Golf GTI Clubsport for £6k off – Akrapovic exhaust effectively thrown in free

The Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport in Mk8.5 guise makes for a tempting prospect at the right price
3 Jul 2025
New Alpine A290 Rallye is an electric car we actually want, but there's a catch
Alpine A290 Rallye
News

New Alpine A290 Rallye is an electric car we actually want, but there's a catch

The A290 has proven to be one of the best performance EVs yet, and now Alpine's taking it one step further with a rally variant
3 Jul 2025
Best used sports cars – proper performance cars for less than a new Golf GTI
Cheap sports cars
Best cars

Best used sports cars – proper performance cars for less than a new Golf GTI

With the sun shining and fuel prices palatable, now is the time to indulge your used sports car desires
1 Jul 2025