BMW Has a Secret Garage Called the 'Giftschrank" - And it's Fascinating

If you've been to auto shows in the past, you're bound to see plenty of interesting and new designs on the floor. A captivating world where innovation and creativity meet practicality, auto shows offer a unique glimpse of the entire automotive industry, along with where it's headed in terms of looks, practicality and safety. But then you see a car unlike any other. It rests triumphantly above all the other cars in the exhibit, resting on an elevated platform, usually accompanied by an attractive woman in a skin-tight dress and heels divulging information to the on-looking audience about just what it is they are looking at. Then, mysteriously, after the show has ended, and the exhibits shut down, these once gleaming and victorious demonstrations of creative achievement and futuristic thinking seemingly disappear, never to be seen again. That got me wondering, where do old concept cars go after they've had their time on stage? I did a little research, and the information I found left me feeling a mixture of emotions. I was excited, disappointed, happy, and sad about what I learned.

Image: BMW Blog

Typically, most companies will destroy previous concept cars to prevent their rivals from getting a closer look at their innovations. GM for example will only retain its most valued concepts and prototypes to be displayed in special museums. Most of them, however go the way of the dodo and are destroyed or recycled for future use. For example, a concept car that is made of modeling clay will tend to be destroyed to recycle the clay for future projects. It's rumored that Jaguar did just this to one of its clay-modeled XJ's when the design studio took axes to it to recycle the clay for future projects. But what about the ones that aren't made of putty? Where do the working, running prototypes end up when the sun sets on their moment? I scoured the internet and came upon one such place in Germany, called the "Giftschrank"

It is the final resting place for BMW's past prototypes and concepts; some of which were never presented to the public. It's a utopian graveyard full of 'what if's" and a place where BMW lovers could ponder what could have been. The garage is filled with a sense of sad nostalgia as one gazes upon the many examples that either never made production, or never made it to the public at all. And once you are able to see just what the public missed out on, it really becomes quite a sad affair - because the amount of potential and creativity within the walls of the Giftschrank simply awes anyone fortunate enough to get a peek inside.

Image: BMW Blog

This prototype, dubbed the "Ur Roadster" concept, was the result of the first attempt by BMW's M-sport devision's first ever design team to create a lightweight, flexible and fun-to-drive sports coupe. It was the concept that would later become the 1995 BMW Z3. Some questioned the looks of the Ur Roadster concept initially, understandably so, but I, for one, love it.

Image: BMW Blog

There were other notable prototypes too; such as this M3 Wagon - the first, and likely last of its kind. This design did come incredibly close to production, but sadly was scrapped at the last minute. This then is the only existing example, and it's both a good thing, and shameful that it has to live out its days in a dark, secretive garage. You get the sense then that BMW has some sort of hidden potential. It sets goals, achieves them, then hides them away in this underground hole. It's almost like you feel betrayed. There are endless concepts that occupy the parking stalls of the GiftSchrank, and then, there is what is quite possibly one of the most controversial concepts ever produced by BMW - the M8.

Image: BMW Blog

A crimson red variant of BMW's 8-series coupe, the M8 prototype was a snarling, raging, 6-speed, rear-wheel drive Ferrari killer thanks to a monstrous 550-horsepower V12 engine which was the result of the mad scientists of BMW taking two in-line 6 engines from the M3 and welding them together at a 60-degree angle. To cool such a massive engine, the 8 series coupe was fitted with bulging panels made of light-weight carbon fiber polymers that hid air channels which directed airflow to the engine bay. In fact, performance was such a huge priority for this car, that it gave up many common-place amenities for the sake of road performance.

Image: BMW Blog

The bespoke race seats had multi-point harnesses to prevent the driver from sliding around under heavy cornering, allowing them to focus on driving first, and everything else second. All of this seemed to be the perfect recipe for what was truly an "ultimate driving machine". However, the project proved to be one that the world was just not ready for when it was presented to the higher-ups at BMW. And thus, it was given the axe.

Image: BMW Blog

There were a few good reasons as to why the M8 never saw the production line; partially because it had no real exterior or interior lighting, which made it unsafe on public roads, and partially because, in addition to being well ahead of its time, a car of this magnitude was simply too costly to produce in numbers in that era. Another reason was that BMW decided that there just wasn't a market for the M8 due to price and it's unique, niche design. Thus, for the next decade or so, the M8 lived on as merely a rumor within the automotive world; a silhouette of a car that could have been, but never was. In fact, rumors circulated that BMW had actually destroyed the M8 - a rumor that was debunked when it re-appeared randomly during a press conference at their headquarters in Munich in 2010. While the M8 is relegated to garage-queen status, its spirit has lived on in other cars.

The McClaren F1 was originally slated to receive the engine from the M8, but designer Gordon Murray believed that it was too long, and too heavy for use in the now-iconic supercar, and scrapped it. Eventually, Murray had developed an engine for the F1 - one that was designed and built by the same engineers that had created the 550hp monster that lives under the hood of the M8. But the F1 wasn't the only car to carry on the M8's legacy.

Image: Car and Driver

This one-off BMW, dubbed the X5 "LeMans" used the exact same motor from the M8 - a feat which helped the heavy SUV to achieve a time of 7 minutes, 49 seconds at the Mecca of racing, the Nurburgring - a time usually achieved by much smaller and lighter sports cars. Then, there was the memorable BMW 850CSi - a production 8-series which probably does the best job of carrying on the spirit of the M8.

I say that, because BMW summarizes the 850CSi as essentially a "de-tuned" version of the revered M8 prototype. Though it had the same sort of V12 engine, it only made due with a modest 375 horsepower, rather than the full fledged 550 horsepower it was capable of. It was still plenty of power, but by today's standards, not nearly on par with the potential of modern V12 engines that you'd find in an Aventador or a fast Aston Martin. In addition to this, the best example of the 850CSi's history can be found in the VIN info. The number indicates that the CSi variant of the 8-series coupe was actually built by BMW's M-devision, rather than BMW AG, a sign that while this is no M8, it can certainly perform like one if desired.

Image: Youtube

BMW's Giftschrank is a hermit world full of wonder. It's a land where a walk-through will simply leave you asking the question of why, and why not. It's an underground utopia that houses some of the most secretive and controversial prototypes ever created by BMW, and one that keeps its cards close to its chest. These prototypes don't get the glory of being displayed in car museums, or being able to drive on public roads. They do, however, carry the creations inspired by the true hopes and dreams of the designers and engineers that work everyday to bring us closer to driving perfection. So the next time you find yourself admiring a concept car, be sure to appreciate the moment, because you never know if you'll see such inspired and controversial design again. You'll never know what concepts will either live amongst the shadows, or come to be iconic symbols of the future of automotive design and innovation.