BMW has taken the covers off its Concept Speedtop shooting brake at the Concorso d’Eleganza in Cernobbio tonight.
The Concept Speedtop, which will end up in a 70-unit production run at close to half a million dollars each, is a hard-topped follow up to the Concept Skytop.
Both cars are based on the BMW M8 production car, powered by a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8, and the Concept Speedtop is expected to reach 62mph in around 3.3 seconds.
The most powerful production BMW engine, the 625hp V8 will drive all four wheels through an eight-speed ZF transmission, but the real innovation is the way BMW is leveraging limited-volume “art” cars to ratchet up brand value.
The Concept Speedtop will be a brand-building exercise for BMW, and its executives hope it follows in the footsteps of the Skytop, which has ended its 50-unit limited production run and sold for $500,000 each.
BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk insisted the Concept Speedtop would bring back the style of the Concept Touring special.
“A true BMW exudes dynamism and elegance, even when it’s standing still, and that’s the case with our new concept car,” van Hooydonk said.
“The Concept Speedtop is characterised first of all by its profile.
“It is very unique in the automotive industry. In this way, we have created and exclamation mark for our entire lineup of vehicles,” he said.
In reality, the Concept Speedtop is a design evolution of the Calvin Luk-designed Concept Touring, which BMW revealed at the Concorso d’Eleganza at the Hotel Villa d’Este in Cernobbio in 2023.
BMW has a long history of unveiling concept cars (and motorbikes) at the Concorso d’Eleganza, which it has long supported as its major sponsor.
Riding on custom-designed, two-tone, 14-spoke alloy wheels, the Concept Speedtop’s design is marked by a central spline running the length of the body.
BMW has taken the ultra-luxury positioning of the Concept Speedtop to heart, signing up with Modena-based luxury leather artisans Schedoni to create custom luggage to perfectly fit the Concept Speedtop’s leather-lined space behind the seats. There’s also a matching weekend bag designed to fit the trunk space.
Usually associated with Ferrari, Schedoni also created brogue-style perforations in the leather to allow it to breath, gave it a two-tone leather roof lining,