The sight of any BMW pickup is unusual enough to capture an enthusiast’s attention, but how about this Neue Klasse rendition decked out in an M livery? The story goes that it was one of a pair that BMW actually built itself, and one’s up for auction right now over at Car & Classic.
Specifically, this is a 1965 BMW 1800 TI—one of the sportier models, whose M10 four-cylinder engine benefited from Alpina’s tender care. Thanks to dual Solex PHH carburetors and higher compression pistons, it produced 110 horsepower, 20 more than the standard sedan. As the seller puts it, one creative dealership decided that was the perfect foundation for a service vehicle, so it specially ordered two TIs from BMW in pickup form.
The listing doesn’t name this dealer or its location, though the car on sale today is a left-hand drive vehicle out of France. If you look closely at one of the interior shots, you’ll notice a badge on the glovebox door belonging to a BMW garage in Clermont-Ferrand.
As far as pickups go, this one is pretty odd, even for its day. It still has the sedan’s rear doors, but they open to a midsection of the bed. And the entirety of that bed is covered, accessible through a conventional trunk lid that lifts to allow access to the back half. Looking deeper in, it appears there’s a removable partition that separates those two parts of the cargo area. The result is either a single-cab truck or a coupe with a really long trunk, depending on how you look at it.
The dealer would’ve been able to load everything up in there, and then fix additional cargo to the racks that sit atop the bed, finished appropriately in a signature shade of BMW blue. Removing the false floor in the trunk reveals a spare tire, and there’s also a hitch on the back, supporting the vehicle’s purported dealership duties.
Was this 1800 TI really converted to a truck at the factory in Munich? Without a peek at supporting documentation, it’s hard to say. It does appear to be as “official” as such a project would’ve looked some 60 years ago, and the passage of time has surely taken its toll with tears in the seat upholstery, tattered carpets, cracked and inconsistent rubber trim around the rear glass, and a bit of underbody corrosion.
It’s safe to say this ute’s work days are behind it, but there’s no denying it would be the perfect conversation starter at a BMW or vintage car dealer today. No estimated price or reserve is listed, and bidding is set to end on June 22.
www.thedrive.com
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