The fashion industry has haute couture for this very purpose, and concept cars have been described as an automotive equivalent, 'haute voiture'.
The BMW Spicup, offered by Bonhams in October's important 'Power by BMW' event, comes from a significant private European collection and was first shown on Bertone's stand at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show.
Unlike most of today's concept cars, the Spicup was and still is fully operational and was based on a shortened BMW 2000 CS with a 2.5 litre straight six BMW power plant, hence its suitability for the auction.
After being road registered in the Netherlands and used as a 'daily driver' the car was laid up for some 20 years. It has been shown at the Concorso D'Eleganza Villa d'Este, as well as the BMW Museum in Munich, though not at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance or elsewhere in the United States - at least to date.
 This wonderful 1969 concept BMW is about as rare as cars come |
"What is so appealing about the Spicup is that you can see how the design concept has actually translated into later production cars," said Robert Glover, Bonhams European Motoring Department Business Manager.
"Further to this the Spicup is designed with a 'Targa Top', a concept that became hugely popular on production cars during the 1970s and early 1980s. To this end the Spicup can indeed be described as 'haute voiture'."
Philip Kantor, Head of Bonhams' European Motoring Department said: "We are delighted to be able to offer such a rare and important concept car at our POWER BY BMW auction, for which we will see it return to the museum.
"The collectors' market has been particularly receptive to these one-off designs of late and, with rarity and concours eligibility unquestionable, we expect interest in the Spicup from all over the world."
Conecept cars are, by their very nature, rare and unqiue which makes them the perfect collectible.
By owning one, you can pretty much guarantee you have a one-of-a-kind, which is not just a great addition to a collection but also a superb investment for the future.
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