A three-word Tweet BMW sent out into the world back in September 2020 is all it took for the company to forever remain in the memory of the NASCAR universeโthe Bavarian carmaker’s American division made a joke that led to heavy speculation on the company entering the stock car arena. And while BMW clearly dismissed the rumors one day later, we can still see the effects of that social media stunt. For one, the unofficial BMW concept that brought us here is envisioned as riding on a NASCAR platform.
Independent artist Al Yasid, who sits behind the angular digital creation, dreamt up a stock car platform for the machine, perhaps in an attempt to deal with our unquenched thirst for Germany returning to America’s banked ovalsโa Porsche 356 graced NASCAR with its presence back in 1954 courtesy of importer Edgar Otto Sr.
Reviving the shooting brake theme BMW once delivered on (more on this below), the proposal’s upper rear window allows us to take a peek at the steel tube frame, which might as well belong to the Next Gen car (that’s Gen 7 for those of you keeping count) entering service this year.
After all, the 2022 NASCAR setup brings a plethora of upgrades, from the independent rear suspension and the 18-inch center-lock wheels to reduced costs and shaper styling with improved aeroโChevrolet, Ford, and Toyota might even be joined by other carmakers in the future, as the vehicles, which currently retain their traditional V8s, can adopt a hybrid architecture.
There’s no mention of the virtual concept’s powerplant, but since we’ve seen real-life NASCAR V8s landing in builds as exotic as the original Hakosuka Nissan GT-R, we can only hope such a motor provides motivation for this piece.
The CGI BMW NASCAR concept mixes multiple eras of design
The shooting brake theme is a nod to the late 1990s era of BMW design, when the carmaker introduced the Z3 Coupe (many enthusiasts refer to this model, which could be had with a full M treatment, as the Clown Shoe). Another retro twist comes from the design of the wheels, which remind everybody of the vehicle that kickstarted BMW’s Motorsport division in the late 1970s, the M1. As for the side exhaust, BMW racecars have had their fair share of such hardware over the years.
The styling remains predominantly modern. So, while it looks like the pixel master took on the challenge of creating this 3D work from scratch, the design language somehow echoes the angular styling cues BMW’s present models use.
The rear of the vehicle, which looks like it could drive on public roads, seems like the kind of presence you’d expect to see debut at Pebble Beach. As for the front end, this sports an all-angry look, with the large kidney grilles potentially splitting opinions, as they do on BMW production models like the current M3/M4.
PS: You’ll find the BMW USA tweet that started the NASCAR frenzy two years ago at the bottom of the story.
