Luxury automaker BMW reveals its latest venture into handcrafted vehicle design with the debut of the Concept Speedtop.
BMW's latest offering at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este is the Concept Speedtop, a grand tourer that pays homage to the golden era of coachbuilding. This new design is set to follow in the footsteps of last year's Skytop roadster, which quickly transitioned from concept to ultra-low-volume production.
BMW's association with Concorso has been longstanding, with the company using the event as a platform to debut new concept models. Notable examples include the 2008 M1 Hommage, the 2011 328 Concept, the 2015 3.0 CSL Hommage, and the 2019 BMW Garmisch recreation.
This year's show saw the introduction of the BMW Concept Speedtop, a three-door shooting brake-style grand tourer that shares visual similarities with its open-topped sibling, the Skytop. The Speedtop will go into limited series production for 70 of BMW's most passionate enthusiasts, with a traditional V8 engine at its heart.
Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design, proudly presented the Concept Speedtop amidst much fanfare during the event's opening night. The car's exterior features a rich metallic Floating Sunstone Maroon color, paired with two-tone leather in Sundown Maroon and Moonstone White.
The design team collaborated with the Manufactory workshop at the BMW Group plant in Dingolfing and Italian leather goods manufacturer Schedoni for the matching leather bags. Van Hooydonk noted that the team had 'quite a lot of freedom with Speedtop,' allowing them to influence the car's proportion not typically possible for all manufacturers.
The Speedtop's design echoes classic BMW cars, such as the 503 and roadsters like the 507 and Z8. Its elegant profile, with a length of 5m, width of 2m, and a height of 1.36m, is set to inspire future Touring models across BMW's line-up.
BMW's close relationship with the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este has provided ample inspiration over the years. New material solutions, combinations, and colors from events like Salone have also influenced BMW's design process. The company is currently working on developing its own AI, with a focus on training it on 100 years of BMW history.
Van Hooydonk's newly installed colleague, Maximilian Missoni, Vice President of Design responsible for BMW's midsize and luxury cars and the Alpina brand, shared his insights on the impact of history on mobility. He emphasized the value of learning these codes and reinterpreting them in contemporary design.
Additionally, the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este event showcased a new race-inspired motorbike concept from BMW Motorrad, the Concept RR, and the new M2 CS, an evolution of the ultra-compact, ultra-light performance BMW.
References:[1] Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este (n.d.). BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupé by Vitro, the Italian Edition. Retrieved from https://www.concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com/en/news/bmw_m8_competition_gran_coupe_vitro_italy
[2] BMW (n.d.). BMW M2 CS. Retrieved from https://www.bmw.com/en/global/innovations/concept-car/m2-cs-concept.html
[3] Autocar (2022). BMW Concept Speedtop at Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2022. Retrieved from https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows/bmw-concept-speedtop-concorso-del
[4] Carscoops (2022). The BMW Concept Speedtop is everything the M8 Gran Coupe should have been. Retrieved from https://www.carscoops.com/2022/05/the-bmw-concept-speedtop-is-everything-the-m8-gran-coupe-should-have-been/
[5] Top Gear (2022). BMW's showstopping Concept Speedtop accidentally leaked. Retrieved from https://www.topgear.com/au/car-news/bmws-sho wstopping-concept-speedtop-accidentally-leaked/
- BMW's latest offering at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the Concept Speedtop, showcases the company's continued interest in the automotive industry, blending technology and classic design.
- The Concept Speedtop's sleek design, reminiscent of classic BMW cars like the 503 and roadsters such as the 507 and Z8, not only represents BMW's historical connection to sports (cars) but also fosters an appealing lifestyle for its enthusiasts.
- The limited production of the Speedtop is another step in BMW's finance strategy, as the car is intended for only 70 of the company's most devoted fans.
- In the realm of entertainment, the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este event also featured the debut of BMW Motorrad's race-inspired motorbike concept, the Concept RR, demonstrating BMW's diverse involvement in transportation across multiple sectors.
