Lamborghini Miura, Countach and Diablo SV, Lancia Stratos and the very first BMW 5 series are just a few examples of his amazing work. Marcello Gandini is one of the most influential car designers of the last century. He has penned many four-wheeled masterpieces of the '60s and '70s, as well as a model that has just been rediscovered: the BMW Garmisch. Presented for the first time at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show and created for Bertone, the Garmisch was a coupé with a precise mission: to break with the past. Like a neo-futurist, Gandini broke with the soft and flowing lines of the 60s to embrace a harsh and clean minimalism. Stretchy lines run along the sides of the car and cross it, behind we find the honeycomb rear window cover, a trademark element of Gandini's style, while upfront there is the typical double kidney grille, this time rotated 90 degrees.

Even inside, the rupture with the past is clear. You instantly notice the vertical radio on the centre console. A lavish mirror in front of the passenger seat emerges from the champagne-coloured leather and a steering wheel that is truly a piece of design. These are the details of a luxurious car that was, however, unlucky. The original Garmisch was lost almost 50 years ago, but today BMW has resurrected it. In fact, the Monaco-based company has presented a new Garmisch at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. But the operation was not an easy one. The company had to dig into its archives to find out some information about it, and Gandini was also personally involved.

In order to respect tradition, the new concept was created as in the past, with body and interior completely handmade in Piedmont. BMW has managed to revive these sharp shapes that would affect many other models in the years to come, from the first BMW 5 series of 1972 to the BMW 3 series of 1975.