Official: BMW Skytop gets 'most powerful' V8
Enough with the electric SUVs already - BMW's latest concept recalls the Z8 and its shark-nosed past
As mentioned earlier in the week, BMW has a rich and varied history of lovely concept cars for the Villa D’Este concours. What we saw of the Concept Skytop a couple of days ago hinted at more of the same, to which an evocative powertrain can now be added: turns out there’s a great big V8 under the bonnet.
Being a concept that’s more focused on style than substance for the moment, BMW doesn’t divulge much about the Skytop’s engine, but ‘the most powerful V8 in the BMW drivetrain portfolio’ is probably as much as needs to be said. We’d say that’s the 635hp variant of the S63 4.4 twin turbo as found in the old M5 CS, but then it could also be the hybridised version coming for the new one - and already seen in the XM, with up to 748hp. Either way, the Skytop is most certainly potent.
That it boasts so much power is all part of its homage to the Z8. A quarter of a century ago, that stunning roadster also earned the most powerful BMW engine in the stable, which at the time was the M5’s 400hp S62 5.0-litre. Only makes sense for its spiritual successor to follow suit. Additional nods to the classic drop top include the central spine that runs all the way through the bonnet, interior and rear end, which is said to underline the ‘dynamic flow of the silhouette.’ Those Z8-aping lights sit on milled aluminium carriers; as you’ve probably surmised already, they’re bespoke for the Skytop, but don’t be surprised if its super slim technology filters down to production cars in the near future. Stuff like organic LEDs have featured on concepts first, then limited editions, and so on and so on.
The exterior design is said to be characterised by ‘taut, muscular surfaces’ that are ‘defined by a few precise lines’, intended to push volume towards the rear of the car and emphasise the front-engined, rear-drive layout. Good old BMW, eh? Adrian van Hooydonk has described the Concept Skytop as a “truly unique and exotic design”, one that “offers a combination of driving dynamics and elegance at the highest level.”
Now, it wouldn’t be a Villa D’Este concept of any description without a suitably opulent interior; to tick that box BMW has upholstered the Skytop in brogue-style leather, crafted in the saddlery at Dingolfing; the hide even extends to the rollover bar to enhance a ‘sense of luxury and spaciousness’. And if the top looks a lot like the interior, that’s because it is - the roof is leather. Of course. Comprising two parts, the roof arrangement can be manually removed and stored in the boot. The idea in pairing the roof and interior so closely is to ensure a ‘smooth transition from interior to exterior’ whichever configuration the Skytop is in. The colour gradient on the rear deck was carried out by a single master painter.
BMW describes this concept as offering ‘power, precision and craftsmanship combined in an open two-seater for luxurious travel’. Which doesn’t half sound nice. It might be argued that the M8 Convertible sort of already offers that array of talents, but clearly the craftsmanship element is being pushed more strongly here. Perhaps the Skytop previews a more bespoke tilt for future flagships, where customers can stamp more of their personality on a V8 BMW. Should one arrive looking like this, the saddlery will surely be kept very busy indeed.
Front end looks like a big improvement over recent efforts, but links to the Z8 which was a smaller and more glamorous car are a bit tenuous.
BMW has struggled in this segment since the original 8 series. Honestly would rather see them put that recent Touring concept in to production than produce another 8 series.
I bet it would do better commercially as well.
Also, it's funny to me how no-one complains about a Bentley Azure weighing 2.7 tonnes but without even seeing how big this is in real life, clearly have an issue with its weight. If this car ever saw the light of day as a production car, it would sell in similar numbers to the Azure ie not very many!
What's with the daft names on German concept cars lately too? First that fugly Mercedes PureSpeed and now Skytop.
However, that's probably what the market expects of German "premium" brands. If you want a pretty German car, it was probably designed by Pietro Frua or Giorgetto Giugiaro and was tiny. And a long time ago.
The design is however translatable to more reasonably-sized products and is like bloody Optrex compared to their recent efforts.
I'm dubious about the apparently oversized bumper vents, but otherwise the cleanliness is so welcome.
The interior too seems to remember their traditional functionality and the discrete use of tinsel and lack of despicable rattle-can silver over anything detachable is to be applauded.
Similarly on the bumpers; no tinsel & silver bits pointlessly clipped on top of extraneous glossy black bits on top of the body moulding for absolutely no good reason.
There are nods to the 507 at the front, Z8 rear lights and the simple dihedron of the sides recalls the Glaserati, which was briefly badged BMW.
The absence of a giant screen instead of a binnacle and the presence of a V8 suggests something HAS fundamentally changed; The revolt against the DIE/ESA/Global warming nonsense control, which appears to be collapsing now? Back to what the market/shareholders demand and not what the Globalist Parasites demand? Dunno, but it feels as if it might be significant.
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