The elusive Nazca M12 is finally tangible, provided you’re willing to pay the BMW Museum a visit. This carbon fiber-bodied stunner is part of the Belle Macchine exhibition celebrating Italian design and its ties to BMW. Designed by the son of Giorgetto Giugiaro, the hugely talented man behind the M1’s styling in the 1970s, the low-slung spaceship on wheels remains a breathtaking sight, even 34 years after its debut.
Fabrizio Giugiaro was only 26 years old when he penned the Nazca M12, his first car design. He drew inspiration from Formula 1 and Group C race cars, and although the vehicle may have appeared to have gullwing doors, that wasn’t the case. The doors opened conventionally, as only the windows rose separately and were detachable for open-air driving.
Officially, the Nazca M12 never reached production. That’s despite the existence of two follow-up cars: the C2 and C2 Spider. However, legend has it that at least one car was sold to the Sultan of Brunei. In fact, images have surfaced on social media showing a black, right-hand-drive example. I remember reaching out to BMW Classic when the images surfaced, but to no avail. The company sadly had no information about the mysterious vehicle.
Tucked beneath the curved glass is BMW’s M70, sourced from the 7 Series (E32 750i) and 8 Series (E31 850i). ALPINA used it as well for the B12 5.0 based on the E32. In the Nazca M12, the longitudinally mounted, naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V12 produced 300 horsepower, sent to the rear axle through a six-speed manual transmission. While that may not sound impressive today, it’s worth noting that the supercar weighed just 1,100 kilograms (2,425 pounds) or about as much as an E30 M3.
The car stands only 1.1 meters (43.3 inches) tall but spans nearly 2 meters (78.7 inches) wide, giving it a commanding stance. Despite what the images might suggest, it’s relatively short. At just 4.37 meters (172 inches), it’s roughly as long as an E30. The sleek body achieved a drag coefficient of just 0.26, a remarkable feat in 1991 and still impressive decades later.
Even BMW admits it was a “shame” the Nazca M12 never made it to production. And in 2025, we’re still waiting for a spiritual successor to the M1…
Photos: BMW / Instagram