Guide: BMW Nazca M12 Ital Design
Background
Once Romano Artioli rejected Ital Design’s ID 90 styling proposal for the Bugatti EB110, Giorgetto Giugiaro’s team turned their attention to reworking the concept into a functional prototype for BMW.
BMW were exploring the possibility of a replacement for the M1, production of which had ended in 1981.
The M1 had been BMW’s first foray into the top flight sports car market since the late fifties.
When Ital Design were given the green light to develop the concept in late spring of 1990, the supercar market was booming; manufacturers had full order books and, such was demand, many premium brand sporting cars were trading at above list price.
It seemed the perfect time for BMW to re-enter the market.
As Ital Design had been responsible for styling the handsome M1 (along with a host of other fabulous vehicles), they were the obvious studio for BMW to partner with.
The Nazca M12 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991.
Chassis
The stunning new machine was built around a state-of-the-art carbon tub with a 2600mm wheelbase (50mm longer than the EB110).
Tubular spaceframes were fitted at either end to carry the independent double wishbone suspension and engine/gearbox. Single spring / damper units were used at the front with two per side at the back.
Bosch ABS was installed along with ventilated discs all round.
The new five-spoke light alloy wheels had an 18-inch diameter and measured 8-inches wide at the front, 10-inches wide at the rear.
Bodywork
The bodywork was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro’s son, Fabrizio, who was inspired by Group C cars of the era.
Formed entirely from carbonfibre, it was uncluttered by aggressive aero devices.
The profile was developed in BMW’s wind tunnel and had a drag coefficient of just 0.26.
Trademark kidney grilles were cut from the nose and there was an additional full width intake between the chin spoiler and upper body section.
Z1 headlights were mounted under clear covers.
The front bodywork could not be opened.
Like the ID 90 the Nazca M10 had a domed glass cockpit. Access to the cabin required the doors to be opened conventionally and then the windows to be raised in Gullwing fashion.
The rear clam was hinged at its trailing edge and opened to expose the engine plus a good-sized luggage box.
Ital Design created new lights for the tail fascia which were connected by a Nazca-branded reflective strip. Either side of the licence plate recess were discrete engine cooling vents.
Interior
The interior was fully functional.
Switchgear was sourced from BMW but everything else was entirely new.
The instrument binnacle comprised two connected pods: one for instrumentation directly behind the steering wheel and another angled towards the driver with the on board computer, stereo and ventilation controls.
Well-padded seats were trimmed in leather to match the dash, transmission tunnel, door panels and sills.
Engine & Gearbox
For power, BMW supplied a five-litre Type M70 B50 engine from the 850i.
An all alloy 60° V12 with single overhead camshafts per bank and two valve heads, displacement was 4988cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 84mm and 75mm respectively. It ran Bosch Motronic M1.7 management, a three-way cat with Lambda sensor and 8.8:1 compression ratio.
Peak output was 295bhp at 5200rpm and 332lb-ft at 4100rpm.
Mounted longitudinally in the chassis, the engine was coupled to a five-speed manual Getrag 560G gearbox.
Weight / Performance
Thanks to its advanced construction, the M12 Nazca weighed just 1098kg.
This meant, despite having less than 300bhp, the quoted performance figures were impressive; 0-62mph took 4.5 seconds and top speed was 180mph.
Response
Unfortunately, BMW were unhappy with certain aspects of the design and wanted to see a revised version later in the year.
The resultant Nazca C2 was displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1991.
Production
In addition to the silver M12 show car displayed at Geneva in March 1991, at least one other example was constructed for the Sultan of Brunei. Painted blue and with a radiator cooling vent carved out from the front lid, it was registered on the Brunei license plate BL8999 and bore chassis number 003.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ital Design - http://www.italdesign.it
