BMW Concept 1 Series tii
by EVANDER KLUM
At the recent 2007 Tokyo Motor Show the introduction of the 1 Series has created some buzz with everyone asking just where the M model is. The 1 Series may never wear the M badge which is okay to many Bimmerphiles since they think it��s disrespectful for the M1 badge which is well known as the legendary mid-engine used for homologation race of the late 70s. To solve this problem the German luxury carmaker BMW has opted to go back in history and named the new concept as 1 Series tii.
The Concept 1 Series tii convey the same description as the performance variant of the highly praised BMW 2002 with high quality BMW 2002 parts which travel the streets in the early 1970s. The car provides a glimpse of what future production performance 1 Series model would be like.
The main focus of the tii concept is agility that��s why its weight has been reduced significantly. As a matter of fact, the hood, mirror caps, airdam covers, trunklid spoiler, as well as the rear bumper inlay are all made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic. All four brake calipers are painted blue same with the bolt on each of the four wheels and the tow hook. It also has a racing stripe that extends through the length of the entire car. The stripe starts off white on the black carbon-fiber hood and then turning black to accentuate the white roof and tunklid. For both bumpers a tii decal was placed with the front decal made into a mirror imaged. The anti-glare strip found at the top of the windshield bear a tii logo.
Inside the 1 Series tii is an abundant amount of Alcantara that covers the steering wheel, most of the upper dashboard, shift knob, and part of the door panels. The sport bucket seats are also covered in Alcantara leather upholstered insets. The whole leather concept is extended to the sport style rear seats which are upholstered in the same blend of materials. The stitching in the leather of the front seats is colored blue same with driver��s seatbelt and the base of the shift knob.
The creative feature of the tii concept is the mixed color gauge faces: the speedometer is black while the tachometer is white which makes it eye-catching. The drawback of the Concept tii is probably the way that it is package as a club-racer for the 135 rather than introducing it as true performance model.
If ever the concept made it to production it is hoped that BMW will further enhance the production model with stiffer springs and just maybe boost the e.0 little twin-turbocharged unit a little bit.
