As a self-professed coffee addict, I wouldn’t normally trust BMW with my morning brew. But with BMW’s Big Coffee Boxer Espresso Machine making headlines, that could stand to change. Not merely because this gloriously appealing espresso maker is based on BMW Motorrad’s air- and oil-cooled R 18 Big Boxer Engine, but essentially because its coffee-making prowess is perfected by ECM Espresso Coffee Machines Manufacture GmbH.
Yes, that’s right. The transformation of the boxer engine to an espresso machine is perfected by BMW Motorrad in collaboration with ECM. Even though it’s a very intricately designed coffee machine, at no point visible, it deviates from the shape of an original boxer engine. The engine is combined with a specially developed E61 brew group to achieve this special edition machine that will be limited to only 80 examples. Act fast, will you!
Designer: BMW
Okay, you’ve stopped for the obvious reason, I have: this guy (for what it is) is priced at €7,900 (including 19% VAT). That’s around $8,600. At the price tag, it’s a given: the Big Coffee Boxer is not for everyone. If you have deep pockets, an insane love for coffee that’s brewed by one of the best motorcycle manufacturers, or already own a custom BMW R 18; you can have the honor of appreciating the craftsmanship and exclusivity of this coffee maker sitting right there on your countertop.
Otherwise, you can just read ahead for what we are going to miss in not being able to afford this espresso machine called the Big Coffee Boxer. To reiterate, it’s made from the actual components of the R 18’s 1802cc Big Boxer engine, which is the most powerful two-cylinder boxer BMW has ever put into production. Looking its glossy best, the engine is purpose-built with an E61 brew group for a serious espresso setup and stands poised on a metal stand with a floating drip tray.
BMW Motorrad has made some interesting concepts of the R 18, but this might easily be the best for any coffee aficionado to appreciate. The portafilter machine comes prepared with its two independent boilers that deliver steaming milk and a shot simultaneously. It has a rather quiet rotary pump that provides constant pressure, crucial to extracting maximum aroma and flavor from the coffee beans.
To ensure that the experience of extracting that perfectly brewed espresso from the Big Coffee Boxer doesn’t fall short at any place, BMW and ECM have also partnered with Munich-based coffee roaster Dallmayr. Given how the coffee machines are deviating toward the contemporary tech lately, this one stays a little retro: it trades the otherwise obvious touchscreen display for two pressure dials. Each one of these controls an independent boiler on the Boxer, which also has a shot counter that displays the brewing time for you.
The post BMW makes Big Coffee Boxer expresso machines based on its R 18 motorcycle engine first appeared on Yanko Design.