Penned by Fabrizio Giugiaro, son of the great Giorgetto Giugiaro, at the age of just 26, the BMW Nazca M12 came to life as a working prototype in 1991 only to be followed by an evolved version in 1992, called Nazca C2. It was supposed to replace the M1, but BMW pulled the plug and it never saw production. So, how about a modern-design BMW Nazca C2?

Yeah, we know, concept cars do not get facelifts. Best case scenario, a concept is reinterpreted and with a wee bit of luck, it makes it into production. This is not the case of the Nazca M12 and C2, but thanks to Rain Prisk, we get to look at a would-be modernly styled BMW Nazca C2 that, surprisingly, flaunts a decently proportioned front grille.

Right off the bat, there is an EV vibe about the design study (maybe because the said grille is shut off and there are no air intakes cut into the body) and the first type of powertrain we would see hidden under that streamlined body is one made of electric motors and batteries.

Of course, this would kind of contradict the character of the original M12, which had a 300-horsepower, five-liter, 12-cylinder mill borrowed from the 750i and 850i production cars of that era.

The engine was mid-mounted in a longitudinal configuration and in theory, it would have taken the M12's driver for quite a ride since the whole car tipped the scales at just 1,100 kilos (2,425 pounds). The C2 was even lighter, at 1,000 kilos (2,225 pounds) and the engine got tweaked by Alpina – yes, that Alpina – to produce 350 horsepower.

BMW Nazca C2 specifications

Come 1993, the Nazca C2 had inspired the C2 Spider, essentially an open-top version. Sadly, the M12, C2, and C2 Spider were the only Nazcas ever built, as the nameplate never made it into series production.