Unveiled at the 2023 Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance, the BMW Concept Touring Coupe may not remain a one-off model for long. said Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of Design, BMW Group Auto record He is open to making a small batch coupe if there is enough demand.
“It’s a one-off at the moment, and there are no concrete plans to put it into production, but we came to an agreement before sailing to Lake Como that if there was enough interest, we’d take a look at it. It could be a lower-volume version, like 50 cars or so.” .
It doesn’t take much mental gymnastics to imagine BMW could sell 50 examples with relative ease. Aside from the rarity, which will undoubtedly enhance the model’s appeal in the eyes of collectors, the brake-like roofline will make it a hit among younger buyers who grew up after the Z3 Coupe’s launch in 1998. Of course, it takes more desire to turn a concept car into a model. production, and Van Hooydonk said it’s still too early to tell if the Concept Touring Coupe will receive the proverbial green light for production.
“I’d like to,” he said, smiling.
There’s even better news: If the Concept Touring Coupe becomes a production model, it might not be too far away. Van Hooydonk debuted the 3.0 CSL Hommage R concept that was presented at the 2015 edition of the Concours d’Elegance. Plans for its creation were not announced at the time but it morphed into a Limited Edition 3.0 CSL in 2022. “Maybe we can do that.” [the Concept Touring Coupe] Slightly faster “.
As for the roofline, the Z3 Coupe flavor is intentional. “We could have made a fastback coupe, but we quickly decided on the bread wagon, or shooting brake, and the architecture because we felt it would make it more popular,” Van Hooydonk explained. He added that while the Z3 Coupe sparked controversy when it debuted 25 years ago, it has become a coveted classic due in part to its unusual shape.
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