Bojan Vrbnjak
Vehicle aerodynamics is more important than ever these days. Because electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly important part of the new cars available, car manufacturers are striving to make them as slippery as possible, in order to increased their reach. Companies have been trying to downsize for decades drag coefficients.
AVT concept was BMW's attempt presentations of a more aerodynamic exterior for years 1981. BMW's head of design Domagoj Dukec he browsed through the brand's archives and for publication on Instagram found these rarely seen pictures of the model AVT. He labels it as “one of the most mysterious concept cars in BMW history". According to Dukec, the company made it to have something interesting for display in the brand's then-new wind tunnel.
AVT is short for Aerodynamischer Versuchsträger, which means in German aerodynamic test vehicle. Being a designer goat, there was no powertrain or interior. That was just sculpture for testing in the wind tunnel. The design features a low-slung nose that sweeps towards the windshield in a clean arc. At the end of the front part can be found a small version of BMW's signature kidney grille. Prominent headlights ensure a smooth appearance of the engine cover. Covers cover the front wheels to preserve aerodynamics of the sides. The lateral side parts flow into the wider rear fenders, above which protective frames are installed. Since there is no interior, it is not clear how the door would open, but it appears to have most likely winged.
It's on the back end tail Kammback, which descends and then branches off vertically. Such a shape reduces air resistance, which is the essence of the AVT concept. Publication Dukeca is also interesting because it includes both sketches as photographs of AVT. The car changed from drawing to three-dimensional model only changed a little. Small vents in the lower part of the front mask and NACA ducts before the rear fenders were not used in the actual design.
Volkswagen XL1 – 32 years after BMW AVT
BMW is somewhat similar in shape Volkswagen XL1. They share elements such as a smooth design and bezels above the rear wheels. If you design the vehicle in such a way that as much as possible you increase its aerodynamics, this is the silhouette you can use to achieve that. Unlike of the AVT model was production of the XL1 model limited, but they started supplying it years ago 2014. At BMW are in brief commented about what she is like today's fate of the AVT vehicle. The spokesperson is in favor Motor1 told that "usually, once such non-driving concepts make their debut at an auto show, they're put into long-term storage or destroyed."
