Lost BMW Garmisch Concept recreated for Villa d’Este

BMW heads to this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este with a new concept car, this time a recreation of the 1970 BMW Garmisch Concept.

BMW likes to take interesting stuff to the glorious Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como, and this year is no different.

In the past we’ve had first looks at upcoming models from BMW at Villa d’Este – like the BMW 8 Series Concept in 2017 – and retro-inspired cars like the BMW 328 Hommage in 2011.

But this year BMW has gone a bit nostalgic and, for some reason, decided to recreate a lost concept from 1970 for this year’s Villa d’Este outing – the BMW Garmisch.

It seems hardly anyone at BMW remembers the Garmisch, and BMW had to rely on its original designer, Bertone’s Marcello Gandini, to piece together how a 2002 ti was turned in to the Garmisch 50 years ago.

Looking like an elegant Fiat 130 Coupe that lost its way in translation, the Garmisch gets a high glass area, double kidney grille turned round and squared off, in yer face headlights, a honeycomb grille on the back window and an unusual Champagne paint job.

Inside there’s lashings of white leather, some wood and what we would now probably call Piano Black trim, and a radio in the dash placed vertically.

It’s an interesting look back at what the Italians could do with a BMW 50 years ago, but it’s not BMW or Bertone’s finest hour.

And BMW probably took one look at the Fiat 130 Coupe, which arrived a few months after the Garmisch, and realised Pininfarina and Fiat got their design so right.