BMW M3 pick-up concept: A versatile vehicle that never came to be
In the 1980s, the Bavarian manufacturer's sports division unveiled a prototype initially designed to transport equipment.
It was the 1980s and BMW was unveiling an M3 prototype destined to go down in history. It was the first M3 pick-up, a rolling concept that had long been used for shows and exhibitions, but which never left the doors of BMW Motorsport's headquarters in Garching, near Munich.
The engineers chose the two-door E30 3 Series as the starting point for this special project, with the rear section cut off and replaced by an aluminium-clad load compartment. Here are the details:
A sports car for transporting goods
The BMW M3 pick-up project is based on a two-door model of the Bavarian non-M saloon, a detail that is immediately noticeable in the absence of the M3's front and rear seats. This detail is immediately noticeable by the absence of the widened wheel arches typical of current and former sports models.
BMW M3 pick-up
The powertrain, however, is different. Under the bonnet, in fact, a genuine M division engine was fitted from the outset, namely the 192 PS 2.0-litre of the M3 sold in Italy and Portugal, where the taxation of the cubic capacity made this solution preferable to the 2.3 S14 of around 200 PS (fitted later, however).
BMW M3 pick-up, the engine
But what was the purpose of this special project? According to the various explanations given by the company over the last 30 years, the engineers thought it was a good way of transporting components and parts within the sports division's factory.
BMW M3 pick-up, interior
There was also an heir
In 2012, after 26 years of 'factory work' for testing and experimentation, the prototype was scrapped, philosophically making way for the new BMW M3 pick-up, this time based on the E92 platform presented in 2011.
The latter was used by BMW to tour the Nürburgring several times, without camouflage to see how the public and fans reacted.
More from BMW:
Gallery: 1986 BMW M3 Pick-up
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