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02-06-2006, 11:01 AM | #1 |
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BMW 2-series convertible spied!
Spy photographers working for Hans G. Lehmann captured some shots of a prototype of the BMW 1-Series convertible.
The 1-Series convertible, which won't hit the market for a year or more, is expected to be offered in the United States alongside a 1-Series coupe. The four- and two-door 1-Series hatchbacks are not expected to come stateside. In early December, Leftlane News cited a published report suggesting the 120 Si coupe and convertible would be a "baby M3" — a "spiritual successor" to the E30 M3 (1986-1991). |
04-19-2006, 02:39 PM | #2 |
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This thread was originally in the news forum, thought I'd copy it here for more exposure.
It's been a while since I took a look at these pics but everytime I see them I think how nice a little nimble BMW like this would be. Don't get me wrong, I own an E90 and love it but every once in a while when some length of time has passed and I haven't utilized the backseats and extra 2 doors, I think how nice it would be to just shrink down the 3 series to save weight and gain nimbleness. And that's exactly what I think the 1-series coupe could be, and that gets me all excited. :roundel: |
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06-23-2006, 11:35 AM | #3 |
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Couple more ones just caught by photographer. By license plate, looks to be a different test mule. Proportions of this car are perfect for a convertible IMO. Not too long and boat-like like the 3-series convertibles.
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11-27-2006, 02:49 PM | #7 | |
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The new Mazda CX7 looks (to my eyes) just awful in photos and absolutely spot-on in person...in part because of its size. It seems we're on the cusp of the return of small fast cars to the US only this time they'll be desirable and cool instead of the econoboxes of the 70's and 80's. |
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11-27-2006, 03:27 PM | #8 | |
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Can't wait!!:headbang: Speaking of small, fast nicely proportioned cars, I was talking to a Mini Cooper S owner yesterday. Loves his car (so do I) and, based in my test drive a few months ago, it's an absolute peach to drive. My expectation is that Bimmer will outdo the Cooper S with the new 1-series (no surprise there). So if the Mini Cooper S is a synonym for the absolute minimum expectation for the 1-series, yeeeehaaa!!!!! As we've said many times on this site, if the competition (B200, A3, MCS, GTI) sets the minimum standard (and we can be confident that the 1-series will easily surpass it) the car pictured above, adn its siblings, will be revolutionary... |
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12-05-2006, 04:01 PM | #10 |
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There's a bunch of things...the Hans G. Lehman photographs that kick off this thread are id-ed as BMW prototypes. If you quote the first post you'll see the provenance of the photos. Some of the images have popped up on other dedicated websites....World Car Fans, for example, that are very reliable identifying so called "spy photos".
The "M" designation on some of the license plates stands for "Munich"...home of BMW. All the prototypes wear a "fat-suit"- an intricate 2nd exterior skin of camouflage that covers the entire body. I've seen other manufacturers cover parts of the body but no one except BMW goes to such trouble as to cover the entire exterior with the "real" skin underneath. Take a look at the passenger side rear shots where you can see the gas tank cover on the real car underneath. Some tricky stuff. On one of the rear shots you can clearly see that this is running on a 1 series platform...the beefed-up double wishbones are the most obvious clue. As Harold mentioned you can see the BMW proportion...the extremely short front overhang, the comparatively long wheelbase for a car this size... all of it points to it being a BMW. |
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12-05-2006, 05:56 PM | #11 | |
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