Back in the 1960s, BMW had a close relationship with Italian design house Bertone, whose best designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, created the styling for the 3200CS coupe. Not long afterwards, the Italian coachbuilder wanted to showcase their idea for a retractable roof, based on engineer Enzo Cingolani's design. So they turned to BMW for help. The result of this collaboration made its debut appearance at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show.

Called the Spicup, a combination of a Spider/Coupe, it was noted for its futuristic design, but more importantly for its unique roof, which consisted of stainless steel panels that retracted in the roll bar. After Giugiaro left Bertone, Marcello Gandini was charged with finalizing the concept's styling. He incorporated what became his signature front end styling with the partly concealed headlamps, which was also seen on the Alfa Romeo Montreal and the Lamborghini Jarama later on. After making the European auto show rounds, the Spicup was sold to various private owners, one of whom decided to change the exterior paint from green to orange.

It was then used as a daily driver by its Dutch owner for 10 years. Powered by a 2.8-liter straight-six, the Spicup was eventually placed in storage for nearly 20 years before it resurfaced in 2008. It then underwent a complete restoration in Milan, Italy and was returned to its original colors. Its first appearance afterwards was at the 2009 Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance and shortly after was placed in the BMW Museum before being put up for auction. And just this past weekend, someone paid €460,000 for it at the latest RM Auction. We just hope this one-off Italian-German beauty won't disappear for another 20 years in storage. Photos courtesy of Bonhams.