The reluctance of BMW to pickups is understandable. Luxury trucks are mainly limited to the US market, and since the Munich car manufacturer has no committed platform for a work animal, it would not make a financial sense to operate a pickup from scratch to serve mainly in a region. Let us not forget the Mercedes X-Class based on the Nissan Navara, which turned out to be a commercial flop.
Nevertheless, BMW has experimented with factory -built pickups over the years. The latest effort was an X7-based concept presented in 2019, although it remained a unique. In 2011, engineers secretly built an M3 E92 pickup as an April Fool’s joke. Go back further and you will find the M3 E30 truck created in 1986, which was used in your own house until 2012. Now, a new auction, which is organized by Auto & classic Brings to light a pickup that goes with all these strange creations.
It is a 1965 1800 Ti from the original era of the new class. According to reports, only two were ever made for a BMW dealer to use as service vehicles. While the trucks were commissioned by the dealer, the conversion was probably carried out externally. When we asked BMW to check its archives, the company informed us that it had no records about the production of these trucks.
This Mashup Mashup sedan has undergone a complete transformation and remains in good condition even after 60 years. The BMW truck, which was never equipped with M strips on its white body and a hook with a firm towing rod. Even the wooden fittings board was good despite the age of 1800 Ti. Some wear are visible, but this is not surprising for a vehicle in which most of us were not even born.
The VIN confirms that it is based on the 1800 Ti so that a 1.8-liter inline-four engine from Alpina is changed. In its time, the engine generated a respectable 110 hp, which was sent to the rear wheels by a four-speed manual transmission. Top speed? 170 km/h. After the list, everything works and the truck is even equipped with a small set of tools in case.
Even if it was not built by BMW itself, this 1800 Ti ton customer certainly looks like a work product. It has only 62,613 kilometers (38,905 miles) on the mileage and is now looking for a new owner. If you feel adventurous Auto & classic Open the bid today and will continue until next Sunday. In view of its rarity, it is difficult to determine the sales price. If BMW had confirmed that it was an in -house building, the value would likely get up. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating piece of automotive history, a “what if” new class truck.
You can see the photos here: Car & Classic
