BMW calls its Speedtop, unveiled at this year's Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este show on the shores of Lake Como in Italy, a "concept". But it has also confirmed it wil build a limited run of 70 units, available to order for (presumably) well-heeled customers/collectors.
It's a reimagining of the maker's Touring models, in the style of a shooting brake and with a lot of design reference back to the Skytop convertible revealed at the same event last year.
"A true BMW exudes dynamism and elegance even when it’s standing still," says Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design. "And that’s also the case with our new concept car.
"The BMW Concept Speedtop is characterised first of all by its profile. It is very unique in the automotive industry. In this way, we have created an exclamation mark for our entire lineup of vehicles, especially for the Touring models."
The front features a shark-nose design. The central spline on the bonnet continues over the roof to the rear spoiler; the colour gradient on the roof moves from Floating Sunstone Maroon to Floating Sundown Silver.
The two-tone, 14-spoke wheels have been designed specifically for the BMW Concept Speedtop.
The Maroon exterior paint is carried over into the interior: brown Sundown Maroon is combined with the light Moonstone White of the seats. The roof spline on the exterior is mirrored as a light beam in the two-tone leather headliner. A light beam illuminates the luggage compartment, which is divided into two sections.
There's bespoke luggage through a collaboration with the Italian manufacturer Schedoni: two storage areas with leather straps behind the seats provide space for two of Schedoni’s made-to-measure bags. A matching weekend bag can also be accommodated in the trunk.
BMW has not released specific technical detail of the Concept Speedtop, but confirms it has "the most powerful V8 engine currently offered by BMW". Given it's based on the platform of the M8, that'll be a 460kW 4.4-litre twin turbo then; it's unlikely to be the 535kW (combined) V8-PHEV from the M5, as that's a newer-gen model.
"Last year, the presentation of the BMW Concept Skytop at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on Lake Como generated great enthusiasm among connoisseurs and automotive enthusiasts," says Bernd Körber, senior vice president BMW brand and product management.
"This led to a strictly limited production run of 50 units. Thanks to this positive response, this year we have decided to also offer the BMW Concept Speedtop in a limited production series of 70 units. This extraordinary vehicle is now available for order. We are pleased to be able to offer collectors and enthusiasts another exclusive model."
