BMW Concept Cars

1. 2016 BMW 2002 Hommage

Capturs essence of what we love about small sports cars.

The BMW Group created a very special car for the 2016 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to pay tribute to one of the most significant models in its history. First and foremost, the BMW 2002 Hommage celebrates the extraordinary feats of engineering behind the BMW 2002 turbo – and re-imagines them as a design study for our times.

“Exactly 50 years ago, the 02 range kick-started an era of success for BMW. This compact coupe is one of the vehicles which made the brand what it is today,” explains Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “The 2002 sat at the top of the range and was the first series-produced car anywhere in Europe to come with turbo technology. That set the seal on the coupe as a genuine sports car. At the same time, the 2002 turbo was at the technological vanguard of engine development at BMW. The BMW 2002 Hommage is our way of raising a glass to all these achievements.”

“The eye-catching design of the BMW 2002 Hommage employs a very dynamic, striking use of forms for its own take on what is, for me, one of the most iconic vehicles in BMW history,” says Karim Habib, Head of Design BMW Automobiles. “At the same time, it encapsulates BMW’s major motor sport triumphs, which were made possible by turbo technology. As such, the Hommage car brings together the past and future of BMW into a confident statement of unadulterated driving joy.”

The sporting silhouette of the BMW 2002 Hommage lies low against the road. Its compact proportions, complete with long wheelbase, short overhangs and prominent “shark nose”, promise a driving experience that thrills with irresistible dynamics and agility. Aerodynamic details like the large spoilers at the front and rear team up with the profusion of air intakes to optimise airflow around the car and maximise downforce in every driving situation.

2. 2008 BMW M1

New interpretation of a BMW M mid-engined sports car

The new BMW M1 Hommage was a surprise debutant at the Concorso d’Eleganza 2008 di Villa d’Este this weekend. No prizes for guessing what it is: this is an official concept car to mark the 30th anniversary of the original M1 supercar.

The M1 Hommage’s designers say they took inspiration from the 1972 Turbo concept by Paul Bracq, which led to Giugiaro’s M1 production car. Naturally, the 2008 version is still mid-engined and rear-drive – and it’s roughly the same size as the original M1, although the wheelbase is stretched.

When revealed to our photographer, Matteo TT Schucchi, his first impression was that “pictures can’t really show the real presence, but it really is amazing, with some incredible lines, and definitely a great modern interpretation of the M1.”

Sadly, it doesn’t look like BMW is ever going to make this one. We should sign a petition or something. We really really really want this in production. Are you listening BMW?

3. BMW Mille Miglia Coupe Concept

When BMW goes retro, the results are pretty stunning.

BMW showcased a brand new concept car prior to the 2006 Mille Miglia. The concept car’s hinged hard-top roof was a reference to the relaxation of the rules at Le Mans when racing cars moved from soft-top to hard-top construction as closed vehicles became eligible to race.

The BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia 2006 evokes the lines of the classic BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupe, which won the Mille Miglia in 1940. The Touring Coupe reasserted its mastery of the classic road race in 2004, when it claimed victory in the Mille Miglia storica – the reincarnation of the event for historic racing cars.

The carbon fiber bodywork of the Concept Coupe is a modern aerodynamic interpretation of the aluminum-bodied Touring Coupe, and wraps around the capable chassis and drivetrain of the BMW Z4 M Coupe.

BMW’s history with the Mille Miglia isn’t the most glowing record out there: it won it only once, and its 1940 victory was the only Mille Miglia to take place during the timeframe of the Second World War. The victorious 328 Touring Coupe averaged 103mph over the distance. Imagine what it’d have done with the power from a 155mph Z4 M Coupe under the bonnet…

4. 2015 BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R

Concept reincarnates ’70s ‘Batmobile’

In August every year car enthusiasts from all over the world gather for the Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach to immerse themselves in the fascination of both automotive treasures from years gone by and pioneering studies for times to come. In 2015 the BMW guys has come up with something very special – BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R – a car that celebrates both the 40th anniversary of BMW in North America and the heady racing success of the BMW 3.0 CSL in 1975.

Given the aim of achieving the best possible fusion of driver and car, the driver was the logical starting point for the design of the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R. For the seamless integration of the driver into the car, the designers extrapolated the principle of driver focus beyond the geometric form of the interior. In the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R, the idea of centring attention on the driver begins with his immediate surroundings. This new approach led the designers first to the driver’s helmet, race suit and seat before moving onto the lines and surfaces of the interior.

This way of doing things changes the nature of conventional interior functions. As the layer of interaction closest to the driver, the helmet visor assumes the functions of a display and projects situation-based information such as the car’s speed, gear engaged and engine revs into the driver’s direct field of view. The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R thus enhances the driver’s direct perception. The idea of the Head-Up Display, which has already proved its effectiveness in series-produced BMW models by flagging up driving-related information without distracting the driver, is therefore expressed in a whole new way. “Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel” is the name of the game – i.e. enabling the driver to concentrate fully on the job of driving the car.

5. 2023 BMW Touring Coupe

Teases a shooting brake Z4, harking back to the Z3 M.

BMW’s Touring Coupe concept teases a shooting brake Z4, harking back to the ‘clown shoe’ Z3 M from the late 1990’s. Unfortunately this remains just that, a tease, as BMW have already confirmed this will not be making production.

The BMW Group is presenting the world premiere of its BMW Concept Touring Coupé at the opening of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023. The closed two-seater, which was developed for one-off production, continues the tradition of legendary BMW classics: a timeless symbol of freedom on four wheels and the joy of travelling together.

BMW Design has reimagined the traditional body shape of an elegant sports car, giving the vehicle a shooting brake concept. In the interior, precisely crafted leather surfaces from Italian manufacturer Poltrona Frau create a luxurious ambience. The compartment behind the seats provides ample room to stow luggage for spontaneous trips; the luggage itself was also exclusively custom-made at the Schedoni leather workshop in Modena.

Viewed from the side, the BMW-typical interpretation of the shooting-brake proportions is clearly recognisable. The long bonnet, streamlined roof contours and powerful rear section form a distinctive two-box design, while the elongated side window graphic with the Hofmeister kink and flared rear wheel arches underline its sporty elegance.

The Sparkling Lario exterior paintwork was specially created for the BMW Concept Touring Coupé. With embedded flakes of blue glass, its grey-brown hues achieve a unique impression of depth. The effect is completed by silver-bronze accents and the specially designed BMW kidney grille with longitudinal bars. The exclusive light-alloy wheels, measuring 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear axle, provide a logical continuation of these colour accents in the 20-spoke radial design.

6. 1972 BMW Turbo Concept

Pop-up headlights and gullwing doors.

The BMW Turbo is possibly the best-known concept car on this list. Countless BMW fans all around the world adore it, and for good reason. First developed by BMW designers and engineers and showcased at the 1972 Olympics, the BMW Turbo is a dream come true for many.

 Its Gullwing doors, shark-like body, daring paint job, and truly sporty interior made “the Turbo” such a hit that BMW had to build a second vehicle to meet demands from car shows and fairs desperate to include the concept car in their exhibitions. 

Behind the seats, the BMW Turbo was equipped with a 2.0 four-cylinder, straight-piped turbo engine, delivering 280 brake horsepower and taking it from 0-100 kilometers per hour in 6.6 seconds. As a concept and idea, there really isn’t anything like the BMW Turbo – but some elements spilled over to later models and entire series. For example, the BMW Turbo was the very first BMW to introduce the driver-oriented cockpit, a concept that would become a trademark for countless later models.

And in terms of its design, it really isn’t a stretch to say that its aggressive stance, low center-of-gravity profile, and overall expression, created by then-BMW Design Studio Chief Paul Bracq, makes it an early sibling of the equally iconic BMW M1.

7. 1969 BMW Spicup

Has two stainless steel roof panels that stow away. Very cool.

Built as both a spider and a coupe, the Spicup was daring prototype made by Bertone and Marcello Gandini for BMW. A highlight of the design was the three-piece sliding top made of stainless steel, but this didn’t stop the Spicup from becoming a relative failure. It was totally out of place with BMW’s refined model line and was not suitable for production.

Using the BMW 2500 as a backbone, the designers at Bertone shortened the chassis to fit a new body and interior. Inside, only the gauges and pedals remained stock. Bertone fitted a new dashboard, seats and carpet with two tone, green on green upholstery.

Bertone describes the car: “The considerable dimensions of the mechanical components were handled by creating almost excessively fluid vertical lines. At the same time, the relatively important tail and wings become the car’s focal point. The rollbars had to satisfy a combination safety needs and design criteria, and Bertone solved the problem with an automatic mechanism which also contained the elements for the transformation from spider to coupé and back again.

For the Spicup, Bertone used the larger inline-6 from the BMW 2800. This capable 2.8 liter, six-cylinder engine produced 170 bhp and drove the rear wheels through a 4-speed manual transmission. These components made the prototype fully functional.

Revealed at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show, the Spicup had a great resemblance to the Alfa Romeo Montreal prototype released at the 1967 Montreal Expo. This was especially true of the semi-hidden headlights with motorized flaps. However at the front Bertone kept BMW’s ‘double kidney’ motif, but with obscure padded inserts.

8. 2011 BMW 328 Hommage

Brings one of the best ever into the future.

The 328 Hommage pays tribute to classic 328 roadster from 75 years ago. It follows design trends set out by the Vision ConnectedDrive released at Geneva this year, but has the signature kidney grill from the 328.

To this day, the award-winning vehicle BMW 328 Touring Coupé still holds the record for the highest average speed on the Mille Miglia circuit and, in 2010, was again able to win the historic revival of the race.

In this area of conflict between tradition and modernity, the BMW Group is paying tribute to the BMW 328 on the occasion of its anniversary with a special model – the BMW 328 Hommage. “With the BMW 328 Hommage, we wish to pay homage to the passion and inventiveness of the fathers of the BMW 328”, explains Karl Bäumer, CEO of BMW Group Classic.

“They created an icon, which is considered a milestone in the history of the automobile.” The BMW 328 Hommage translates the principles and the character of the vehicle of that time into present times and offers a possible interpretation of how the designers of that time, Fritz Fiedler and Rudolf Schleicher, might have built the BMW 328 in the present day using current technology.

9. 2009 BMW Vision EfficientDynamics

Two electric motors for full-hybrid drive. Became the i8.

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is the result of a “clean-sheet” development process to ensure that the correct achievements were made in the areas of efficiency, driving pleasure, technology, and emotional design. BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is the most comprehensive implementation of the EfficientDynamics philosophy seen so far. The powertrain provides a top speed limited electronically to 155 mph, with acceleration to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. Average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle is 3.76 liters/100 kilometers, equal to 62.6 mpg, and the CO2 emission rating is 99 grams per kilometer. CO2 emission management is even more outstanding when driving in the all-electric mode after charging the battery from a plug-in source: Taking all emissions in the generation of electricity into account, as prescribed by the EU formula, the car’s emission rating is just 50 grams per kilometer.

Through this unique balance of driving pleasure and fuel efficiency, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car clearly demonstrates the potential of BMW ActiveHybrid technology, which makes its world debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 and BMW ActiveHybrid 7 production models.

The power and performance are made possible by combining a fuel-efficient 3-cylinder turbodiesel with one electric motor on each axle. The intelligent combination of these units, together with precisely controlled energy management, simultaneously enhances the dynamic performance and the efficiency of the car. Overall system output is 356 horsepower, and peak torque is 590 lb-ft. The special arrangement of the two motors and diesel engine allows all-wheel drive when driving in all-electric mode. The result is minimum power loss and a harmonious transmission of the power available under all conditions.

10. 1991 BMW Nazca Concept

Took his inspiration from Formula One and Group C racers.

After styling supercars like the Lotus Esprit and Lancia Delta, Giorgetto Giugiaro created this one for BMW in 1991. At the time he was a busy man, both Jaguar and Bugatti had enlisted him for similar work. Fortunately, the capable team at Italdesign-Giugiaro S.p.A could not only prototype, but test and manufacture as well.

Unlike other design houses of the period, Italdesign was very thorough; enough to ensure that the concept cars were fully functioning prototypes. You could almost consider them good enough to launch as a preproduction model. Fortunately, this is also the case with the M12.

Giugiaro had already styled BMW’s first modern supercar, the 1978 M1, so his newer M12 was a natural evolution. Both cars shared the same BMW ‘kidney’ grill, low profile and mid-engine layout. Unlike the angular-lines from the seventies, Giugiaro gave the M12 a completely round greenhouse. Unfortunately, this also meant that split doors had to be fitted because the compound curve of the glass was too steep. Thus, the glass section of the door hinged at the T-Bar while the rest regular door swung out normally. Italdesign also fitted the entire greenhouse with mirror-finish tint, making it impossible to see the occupants or interior inside.

Underneath the carbon fiber body Italdesign sourced BMW’s best available engine, the V12 from the BMW 750i and 850i. This five-liter unit produced 300.0 bhp (223.7 kw ) which was good enough to propel the car to 180 mph (289.7 kph).

Unfortunately BMW didn’t want to go through the another hassle like the M1, so the M12 never reach regular production.