Conceived at BMW Technik and completed by BMW’s safety test department, the C1 combined elements of a car with those of a scooter to reduce the risks of urban motoring. Its safety cell was suspended on an adapted Telelever front end, and a four-point harness allowed it to be ridden without a helmet in most jurisdictions. Built at Bertone of Italy, the C1 proved a tough sell, and only 13,000 were built from 2000 to 2002, none for the US market.

For more pictures and information on this or any other vehicle in the Motorcycles exhibit, check out the exhibition book in our store!