For automakers and businesses in general, social media channels are an effective way to promote products. However, marketing efforts aren’t entirely focused on what you can buy today. When you’re BMW and have a long heritage worth honoring, it pays to look into the rearview mirror every now and then.
That brings us to an interesting post shared by BMW Classic on Instagram. While it may look like some sort of American wagon, it’s all Bavarian underneath the strange camouflage. In the early 1970s, 7 Series prototypes were running around the streets that you would’ve been hard-pressed to identify as a BMW.
Even knowing what hides in plain sight, you can’t immediately make a connection between the prototype and the E23. Well, at least not from some angles. It’s safe to say the real thing, penned by Paul Bracq, was far more beautiful than this oddly shaped contraption. It’s important to note that BMW didn’t seek to mimic another vehicle’s shape. We’ll be honest and admit that was our initial impression.
Rainer Wenleder from BMW Classic explained in an email to BMWBLOG the logic behind this type of disguise:
“The kind of camouflage used on the BMW E23 prototypes was not supposed to resemble a particular type of car. In fact, box-shaped attachments were contemporarily used to conceal the actual shape of prototype cars. Today, prototypes are wrapped in vinyl films with camouflage patterns to achieve this. Still, even today, certain parts of the bodywork on prototypes—the contours of the head- and taillights—are distorted by box-shaped attachments.”
BMW’s nod to the past comes at a time when we’re only months away from discovering the 7 Series facelift. The G70 should break cover this spring or early summer, judging by the rumored start of production in July. As much as we’d love to see a 7 Series Touring like this prototype falsely portrays, it’ll remain a sedan. There’s going to be a twist since not one, but two distinct flavors are on the way.
Aside from the standard BMW-branded 7 Series, a more luxurious BMW ALPINA version is coming with a separate chassis code. Using “G72” instead of the usual “G70” suggests further differentiation. The newly founded sub-brand has been coy with details, revealing only a partial view of its fresh interpretation of the classic 20-spoke wheel design. From what we’ve heard, the pricier variant will essentially be a fully loaded G70 with distinctive ALPINA accents inside and out.
The original 7 Series turns 50 next year, so here’s hoping BMW, and its ALPINA sidekick, will honor the E23’s legacy with the facelifted flagship.
