Every now and then, BMW’s design boss takes us on a trip down memory lane by dusting off obscure concept cars from days gone by. The latest (almost) forgotten showcar to make the social media rounds is the Z13, a quirky little hatchback unveiled at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show. Looking like an i3 from the 1990s, the city car was developed by BMW Technik GmbH.
The same talented team that brought to life the Z1 roadster in the late 1980s created this petite hatch with a central driver’s seat and two passenger seats behind it, à la McLaren F1. The oddball Z13 had a rear mid-engine setup with an inline-four producing 82 hp. That might not sound like much but the concept – which was actually a fully functional prototype – weighed just 830 kilograms (1,830 pounds).
It is believed the engine came from a K1100 motorcycle and worked with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) borrowed from Ford. Certainly not the prettiest car to have the famous BMW roundel, the Z13 sipped just 5-6 liters of fuel every 62 miles (100 kilometers) thanks to its lightweight construction with an aluminum spaceframe chassis. That’s a remarkable 39 to 47 miles per gallon.
Despite being a diminutive car, it was able to accommodate skies up to two meters (nearly 79 inches) long. The Z13 will go down in history as BMW’s first car with satellite navigation, a year before production models began to receive this handy feature we now take for granted. It also came with a telephone and a fax machine, which must’ve been cool features to have back then.
Legend has it the Z13 was built by Italian coachbuilder Stola rather than BMW and there was a second car painted in red. That one allegedly had a more powerful engine, a five-speed manual transmission, and a more spacious interior. Speaking of the cabin, the weird little BMW was engineered with an electric parking brake. There were apparently plans to put the Z13 into production but with BMW buying Mini in 1994, there was no need for it anymore.
Source: Domagoj Dukec / Instagram
