david obendorfer pays tribute to BMW’s first electric car with ’02 reminiscence’ concept

building upon his growing portfolio of concept cars, designer david obendorfer shares his latest work: the BMW 02 reminiscence concept. the design pays homage to the 1602 elektro-antrieb — the car model that marked the luxury german car company’s first zero emissions project.

all images by david obendorfer

modelled off the BMW 1602, which debuted at the geneva motor show in 1966, the BMW 1602 elektro-antrieb was first unveiled during the 1972 olympic games in munich. the car, which looked almost identical to its predecessor, had one key difference: the combustion engine was replaced with a battery pack. despite not going on to become manufactured, the two prototypes were used during the olympic games to shuttle VIPs and served as support cars in long-distance events such as the marathon.

BMW 02 reminiscence concept – exterior rendering

for this project, david obendorfer has imagined a full electric remake of the 1602 elektro-antrieb, bringing the classic design into the 21st century. the main dimensions of the vehicle roughly coincide with those of the existing 2-series coupé: 4510mm/1805mm/1400mm/2730mm (length/width/height/wheelbase).

BMW 02 reminiscence concept – exterior rendering

obendorfer explains, ‘my aim wasn’t to bring back all the characteristic 02-series’ design features at any cost, but rather build a respectful reinterpretation, and above all to keep it simple. both the interior and the exterior design try to stay away from complicated surfaces and busy lines, by exploring a soft three-dimensionality, that somehow is able to communicate zero emissions.’

BMW 02 reminiscence concept – interior rendering

the BMW 1602 elektro-antrieb unveiled at the 1972 olympic games in munich

two prototypes were used as support cars in long-distance events like the marathon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6htC-3Lxes

video by david obendorfer

BMW 02 reminiscence concept – exterior rendering

BMW 02 reminiscence concept – exterior rendering

BMW 02 reminiscence concept – exterior rendering

BMW 02 reminiscence concept – interior rendering

BMW 02 reminiscence concept – exterior rendering

BMW 02 reminiscence concept – exterior rendering

project info:

project name: BMW 02 reminiscence concept

design: david obendorfer

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.