BMW Concept Skytop and Concept Speedtop

BMW Concept Speedtop: A Masterpiece of Craftsmanship Bridging Heritage and Modern Innovation

Home » Design » BMW Concept Speedtop: A Masterpiece of Craftsmanship Bridging Heritage and Modern Innovation

Introducing the BMW Concept Speedtop: Evoking the Heritage of Craftsmanship Design

The BMW Concept Speedtop was unveiled for the first time at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este event. This grand tourer embodies the spirit of the golden era of coachbuilt automobiles. The Speedtop reflects a continuation of unique design traditions that blend luxury with artisanal craftsmanship.

From Concept to Limited Production

The transition of the Speedtop from a concept model to limited production marks a relatively new step in BMW’s strategy. This move represents a growing trend toward reviving and reinterpreting custom and unique car designs that have long distinguished the Villa d’Este events. The company drew inspiration from the exclusive and distinctive cars showcased annually in the villa’s gardens, which attract enthusiasts of luxury and uniqueness.

Strategic Partnership: BMW and the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Event

BMW’s relationship with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este holds great significance in the brand’s strategy, as the company uses this prestigious event as a platform to unveil its new concept models.

A History of Concept Unveilings

Over the past years, BMW has introduced several concept models reflecting the evolution of design and engineering, including:

  • The BMW M1 Hommage in 2008, which revived the spirit of the classic M1 sports car.
  • The BMW 328 Concept in 2011, embodying a new design language inspired by heritage.
  • The enhanced version of the 3.0 CSL Hommage revealed in 2015, showcasing performance and luxury in a contemporary style.
  • The stunning revival of the BMW Garmisch model in 2019, which embodied classic design with a modern touch.
BMW Concept Speedtop

A Shift in Design Strategy: From Classic to Contemporary

In recent years, BMW has witnessed a notable shift in its design focus, moving away from reinterpretations of classic designs toward creating new models that blend modernity and innovation.

Concept Skytop: A Step Toward Limited Production

Last year, the Concept Skytop was unveiled, marking the beginning of this shift. Only 50 units were produced as part of a limited edition, reflecting the company’s approach to combining tradition with exclusive distinction.

Unveiling the Concept Speedtop at Concorso 2025

This year, Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of Design at BMW Group, proudly presented the BMW Concept Speedtop during the opening ceremony of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2025. As the dry ice smoke cleared, an elegant three-door shooting brake— a style that combines sportiness with practicality—was revealed to an audience of journalists, owners, collectors, and dealers.

The Speedtop is fitted with bespoke luggage by Schedoni

Companion to the Concept Skytop: Limited Production and Unique Exclusivity

The BMW Concept Speedtop serves as a continuation of the BMW Skytop model announced last year, with a limited production run of only 70 units. This edition is reserved for the brand’s most passionate and dedicated enthusiasts who seek to own a unique car that will not be available in the general market, not even in the United States due to regulatory restrictions prohibiting its sale there.

Freedom in Handcrafted Design

Adrian van Hooydonk explains that handcrafted cars offer design and execution possibilities unavailable on traditional production lines, opening greater opportunities for innovation and customization.

Specialized Collaboration in Luxury Details

To achieve the highest level of luxury and precision in design, the design team collaborated with the Manufactory workshop specialized in handcrafting at BMW’s Dingolfing plant, along with a partnership with the Italian luxury leather goods company Schedoni, which designed leather bags matching the car’s design to enhance the model’s exclusive and luxurious character.

Rear seats are replaced by tailor-made Schedoni weekend bags

Visual Design and Shared Identity

The BMW Concept Speedtop shares its core features with its open-top sister, the Skytop. Both cars feature an aggressive front inspired by the “shark nose” shape, a design that gives the vehicle a dynamic and powerful appearance.

Differences in Rear and Roof Design

Despite the similarity in the rear, the Speedtop differs from the Skytop in roof design; the long roof replaces the ribbed rear surface found on the Skytop. A prominent design line, called the “roof spine,” runs along the roof and is echoed inside the cabin through the headliner, creating a cohesive aesthetic connection between the exterior and interior.

Color Palette and Interior Details

The car features a unique exterior color named Floating Sunstone Maroon, a rich metallic shade blending reddish-brown with dark red to impart a warm and elegant character. This harmonizes with a two-tone leather interior combining Sundown Maroon and Moonstone White, enhancing luxury and distinction in the interior design.

BMW Concept Speedtop interior

Design Freedom and Dynamic Dimensions

Adrian van Hooydonk points out that the Speedtop design enjoyed a wide margin of freedom, explaining:
“The design team can always influence the car’s dimensional proportions, which is something not available to all manufacturers.”
This is evident in the car’s dimensions, measuring 5 meters in length, 2 meters in width, and a low height of only 1.36 meters, giving it elegant proportions and a dynamic side profile that reflects the spirit of both sporty and luxurious cars.

BMW’s Direction Toward Future Design

BMW aims for this sophisticated design language to be reflected in future Touring models within its lineup, highlighting the importance of balancing performance and beauty in the company’s vision.

Performance and Sporting Spirit

This particular model is equipped with a traditional V8 engine, lending the car a strong sporty character and outstanding performance, reaffirming BMW’s commitment to delivering cars that combine luxury and power.

BMW Concept Speedtop interior

Inspiration from Craftsmanship and Handmade Traditions

The close relationship between BMW and the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este event has been a continuous source of inspiration for the company over the past years.

Adrian van Hooydonk emphasizes that the cars showcased at this event are handcrafted, making the intricate details highly valuable from a design perspective. He states:
“All the cars presented here are handmade, and the details they contain are a source of inspiration, even though we do not seek to replicate them literally.”

This statement highlights how BMW draws its creative strength from craftsmanship and tradition while maintaining innovation and avoiding mere artisanal imitation.

Speedtop and Skytop share a profile

Understanding Mobility Through the Weight of History and Cultural Symbols

Maximilian Missoni, the new Vice President of Design responsible for BMW’s mid-range and luxury cars as well as the Alpina brand, explains how rich history influences his vision of mobility.

Missoni states:
“I don’t draw my inspiration from designs themselves, but from the solutions and cultural symbols they represent.”

He adds:
“As designers, we must learn these symbols and understand how to reinterpret them. Many of the creators of these cars were not designers but engineers — and they brought beauty through pragmatism and passion.”

This statement reflects the importance of understanding the historical and cultural context behind design, where creativity goes beyond mere form to practical solutions that carry deep meaning and emotional spirit.

BMW Concept Speedtop

Sources of Inspiration in BMW Design: Between Innovation and Collective Dialogue

Oliver Heilmer, Head of Design for BMW’s Compact Cars, Neue Klasse, and BMW M models, emphasizes that inspiration comes not only from external experiences but also from internal interaction within the design team.

He says:
“We also draw inspiration from places like the Salone exhibition, where we explore new material solutions and innovative combinations of colors and textures.”

He adds:
“But what inspires us even more — perhaps — is the internal dialogue among members of the design team itself, as it is one of the main drivers of the creative process.”

This statement highlights the importance of balancing the pursuit of technological advancements and material innovations with ongoing internal communication to enhance and develop ideas.

BMW Concept Speedtop

The Design Dance Between Past, Present, and Future: BMW and Artificial Intelligence

BMW car design is like a masterful dance blending the legacy of the past, innovations of the present, and visions of the future. The Concept Speedtop model clearly embodies this balance, representing a continuation of the coachbuilt tradition, with a deep focus on precise proportions, the influence of luxury goods, and preserving the unique character that distinguishes the BMW brand.

Within this framework, the design team also discussed the role of modern technology, especially artificial intelligence. Adrian van Hooydonk explains:
“We have been working with artificial intelligence for several years. Our goal is to build and train our own AI system, using one hundred years of BMW’s history as a data source, rather than relying on general AI systems trained on the internet.”

This approach marks an important step in merging rich heritage with future tools, opening new horizons for design creativity while maintaining the brand’s authenticity.

BMW Concept Speedtop

Artificial Intelligence as an Assistive Tool… and the Indispensable Role of Humans in Design

The design team points out that certain car elements, such as wheel design, may be among the first areas to benefit from AI-assisted design techniques. However, the three designers emphasize that the human element remains fundamental in the decision-making process.

Oliver Heilmer says:
“It ultimately comes down to humans choosing the right solution; artificial intelligence is just a tool.”

Meanwhile, Maximilian Missoni explains that traditional designer training focused on offering multiple solutions and options for the team or client to choose from. But he notes that AI will radically change this dynamic:
“AI provides a huge number of solutions, which forces us to filter many more options. You need to become a more holistic designer, not just a stylistic one.”

This perspective highlights the necessity of developing designers’ skills to include a deeper understanding of technical and cultural solutions, while leveraging AI as a tool that enhances the creative process without replacing the human element.

BMW Concept Skytop and Speedtop

Evolution of Sports Performance: BMW M2 CS Between Heritage and Modernity

Alongside the Concept Speedtop and the innovative Concept RR inspired by BMW Motorrad’s motorcycle racing division, BMW unveiled the new M2 CS model during the Lake Como event.

This model represents a significant evolution in BMW’s line of lightweight, compact performance cars, whose roots trace back to the BMW 2002 Tii launched in 1971. The lineage also includes the BMW 1 Series M Coupé introduced in 2011, underscoring the brand’s ongoing commitment to developing small, high-performance sports cars.

The new model highlights BMW’s dedication to preserving its sporting heritage while integrating modern design and engineering technologies that enhance the vehicle’s capabilities and performance.

The new BMW M2 CS

Enhanced BMW M2 CS: Lightweight with Superior Performance

The upgraded and lighter version of the BMW M2 carries the iconic “CS” badge, which stands for “Competition Sport” in BMW’s terminology.

Adrian van Hooydonk describes this model as “the ultimate driving machine, the ultimate,” highlighting its weight reduction of approximately 30 kg compared to the standard version. This was achieved by incorporating a carbon fiber roof and mirrors, along with a rear wing inspired by racing designs, enhancing the car’s aerodynamics.

Performance-wise, the engine’s power has been increased to 530 horsepower, elevating the car’s capability to deliver an exceptional sporty driving experience. This edition is produced in a limited run, making it a rare choice for high-performance enthusiasts.

The new BMW M2 CS

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