The BMW i16 is an M1 throwback that never came to be

If you’ve ever wondered what a modern-day BMW M1 would look like, then venture no further than the i16 concept that sadly never came to be thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the weekend, the chief designer at BMW, Damogoj Dukec, revealed several images of a secret project on Instagram, much to his fans’ delight.

Dukec says the car was ready in less than 12 months, inside and out, thanks to the use of the i8’s composite structure which the keen-eyed among you have probably already made out – note the A-pillar.

As for the design, much of the concept was inspired by the 2019 Vision M Next show car, but we couldn’t help but notice how alike it is to the late 1970s/early 1980s M1 thanks to its slanted front end, mid-engined silhouette, and inclusion of the double ‘BMW’ badges at the rear.

So why wasn’t the i16 to be? Well, you may recall that the world was rattled by the pandemic in 2020 and it’s for that reason that the model was shelved. It’s likely things will stay that way too.

In saying that, a number of its styling cues that can be found on the XM SUV, such as its lower front intakes and angular rear diffuser. So at least some of the i16 made it out of the woodwork in a way.

“As designers, we are familiar with the many twists and turns of such projects. Nevertheless, we’ll never stop dreaming and exploring new possibilities, and there’s always a new project waiting around the corner,” says Dukec.