Right now, if you look at BMW’s production cars and its concept cars, we wouldn’t blame you for thinking they came from two different companies. While designs we’ll charitably call ‘challenging’ like the XM and new 7-series currently sit in showrooms, the brand’s been smashing it out of the park with show cars such as the 3.0 CSL Hommage, Z4 Concept Touring and, most recently, the BMW Skytop.
One of those cars – the 3.0 CSL – has already slipped free of the show car restraints to become a limited-run production car, and now it’s happening again, because BMW has announced it’ll build 50 Skytops.
Originally revealed at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como earlier this year, the Skytop is a targa-topped roadster that, while never outright stated by BMW, seems pretty clearly based on the current 8-series.
Indeed, it shares a powertrain with the M8 Competition – a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 sending 617bhp to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. BMW says that’ll propel the Skytop to 62mph in 3.3 seconds.
BMW Skytop concept – front detail
As well as the removable soft-top roof, the rear window can electronically retract for maximum roadster-ness, but that leather-covered T-bar stays in place either way. The sharky front end and rounded rear, BMW says, are explicit references to the Z8 roadster of the late ’90s – itself a tribute to the gorgeous 507 from the 1950s.
Rather contrasting with plenty of modern Beemers, the head- and tail lights are slender, with the front LEDs said to be the slimmest possible profile for automotive lighting. Just because not everything can be perfect, there is an illuminated kidney grille surround.
BMW Skytop concept – rear
Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW’s head of design, said: “The BMW Skytop is a truly exotic design and offers a combination of driving dynamics and elegance at the highest level. To finally be able to announce that this car will be built is like a dream come true.”
We don’t know when the Skytop will head into production, how much some elements will be toned down from the concept, or how much it will cost. Our predicted answers to those questions, though, are: “soon”, “possibly some”, and “rather a lot.”
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