Concept car Skytop BMW can make a production car/BMW
BMW does not have the best track record in terms of launching its concept cars into production. The 328 Hommage, M1 Hommage, and Nazca C2 are just a few that have broken fans' hearts over the years.
Even some that were relatively easy for BMW to create, such as the Z4 Concept Touring Coupe and Vision M Next, were designed only to be cancelled. So, sorry, but we're not quite sure when BMW's design boss says that the recently unveiled Skytop has every chance of becoming a reality, reports The Drive.
The BMW Skytop Concept has been unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2024 this weekend, and it's one of the brand's most beautiful modern concepts. With its retro design, targa-top roof and ridges running through the hood and trunk, the Skytop is reminiscent of cars like the BMW 503 and Z8. It also looks surprisingly production-ready, but that's how the designers intended it.
“We're not sure if we can do it. But we could, because this time we put all the knowledge we've learned into the design phase,” BMW Group head of design Adrian van Hooydonk told media at the Villa d'Este.
He says the Skytop has road-legal headlights and taillights which will facilitate a limited production run if there is customer demand. Fortunately, he is.
According to van Hooydonk, there are customers who “definitely want such a car.” And if he can find enough like-minded enthusiasts to make a business case for the car, BMW really won't have much reason not to build it.
From a technical point of view, yes, it is quite real,
he said.
The feasibility of the Skytop comes as no surprise when you look inside. Its interior looks like a direct descendant of the BMW M8, only with more refined leather. And since the Skytop uses the M8 engine, it should have an identical powerplant. Of all the current BMW concepts, this one is probably the easiest to produce and sell.
To its credit, BMW sometimes builds and sells some of its most interesting concepts. The Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept eventually evolved into the BMW i8, and more recently the low-production 3.0 CSL based on the M4 appeared on the basis of the 3.0 CSL Hommage. Hopefully the Skytop will join the ranks of these two cars, as van Hooydonk understands that BMW has to turn a concept into reality every now and then.
He believes that the company's customers should always have things they can dream about. And, of course, you also need to realize these dreams sometimes, Hoydonk emphasized.