ZBF-7er: Another Concept Added To BMW's Official Collection Of Historic Autos

ZBF-7er was a mid-'90s design study that refined the idea of what a 7 Series should be. As the attached clip demonstrates, it contains several components that are way spectacular..

While those days may seem far away, the Siebener (7er in German) idea previewed several features that have since debuted on BMW autos. The massive kidney grille, which is a major change from the tiny nostrils on the E38 that the ZBF would have replaced, is perhaps the most striking feature. The enlarged openings aren't as provocative as the ones on the current M3 and M4, but we imagine they'd be fairly surprising if they'd been introduced in 2002.

It's a big car, the ZBF-7er. It's so huge, according to Nagashima, that factory tires wouldn't fit on it. BMW had to ask Dunlop to make unique 20-inch tires with hand-cut treads of Nagashima's own design because 19-inch wheels were the max at the moment.

Because of its size, which is said to be larger than an E38, the visual mass of the side profile has to be split up. The vertical panel of the door is separated by a massive chrome side scuttle because Nagashima opted to skip the flame surfacing shapes pioneered by BMW's Chris Bangle.

Today, the interior appears outdated, but there are some fascinating forms on the dashboard, as well as materials for a long center console that runs between the back seats. Wooden door armrests and center stack have a mid-century feel to it. There are cameras in place of side mirrors, which was 25 years before they were introduced on production cars. There's also an early version of BMW's iDrive technology, but it's only usable from the back seats.

Nagashima also shares something unique about the creation of the completely drivable concept. The body is entirely hand-made of metal. This was already a disappearing art form when the ZBF-7er was developed. Nagashima, on the other hand, claims that the art still exists in Italy.

As a result, BMW created a full-size clay model and sent it to Italian coachbuilders, who hammered the body out of aluminum. Nagashima says: "I felt it was fantastic. Such a modern concept car was done in such an old-fashioned method."

The ZBF-7er was never produced as a successor to the E38, as history has proved. Bangle's bustle-butt E65, on the other hand, was introduced to the world. Both were significant departures from the E38, and seeing this other option makes us wonder how BMWs would have progressed if the powers that be had chosen a different course. 

The video features an interview with Joji Nagashima, a 30-year BMW design veteran who designed the ZBF-7er as well as the legendary E36 3 Series, classic Z3 roadster, E39 5 Series, and other BMW models. ZBF stands for "Zukunft BMW Familie" (Future BMW Family), according to Nagashima, and the team was working to create the 3, 5, and 7 Series as the brand's core family of cars.