Z8 reborn: BMW Skytop Concept is one stunning droptop
The Skytop Concept is BMW's idea of an exotic convertible
If there's one thing BMW likes to do apart from delivering sheer driving pleasure to its customers, it's their knack for revealing exquisite concept cars. Whether it's to preview next-generation models or to give the motoring public a taste of things to come in the coming years, the German automaker knows a thing or two about making a statement.
At this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the annual beauty contest for historic cars & motorcycles, BMW has brought a two-seater concept dubbed the Skytop, and boy did the Bavarian automaker impress.
Featuring a sculpted body with muscular lines and smooth curves, the BMW Skytop concept brings together exotic convertible looks with elegant lines that hide a sleek cabin and a powerful turbocharged powertrain. Beginning with the most obvious first, the Skytop's unmistakable looks were inspired by the Z8 and the 503 droptops. This was officially confirmed by Head of BMW Group Design Adrian van Hooydonk.
“The BMW Concept Skytop is a truly unique and exotic design, in the tradition of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. It offers a combination of driving dynamics and elegance at the highest level, comparable to its historic ancestors, like the BMW Z8 or BMW 503,” said Hooydonk.
From the thin LED taillights to the curvaceous fenders as well as the shark-like front fascia, these are hallmarks inspired by the BMW Z8. It also comes with a sculpted hood and a pronounced spline that extends from the hood, through the interior, and to an aluminum trim positioned on the tailgate – highlighting the vehicle's distinct silhouette.
Also worth mentioning are the roll-over bars finished in leather behind the concept's two seats. They are combined with side fins on the B-pillar along with a fully retractable rear window. The roof itself has two removable parts which can be stored in a special compartment in the cargo area for easy stowage.
Open the doors and the Skytop greets passengers into a leather-line interior. The seats feature brogue-style accents which show a reddish-brown tone on the surfaces which create a consistent color scheme that gives the cabin a sense of luxury and spaciousness. Neat touches of crystal are also placed in the cockpit for added opulence.
The rest of the cabin appears to be derived from a production vehicle, most likely the 8 Series given the vehicle's immense size. From the infotainment system to the digital instrument cluster as well as the center console, we won't be surprised if BMW's largest grand tourer became the basis of the Skytop Concept.
No technical specifications were revealed by BMW for the Skytop Concept. However, they did mention that it comes with the most powerful V8 engine in the brand's portfolio. This leads us to believe it may be powered by a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that's found in the M8 Competition which generates 625 PS and a hefty 750 Nm of torque. Power is then sent to an 8-speed automatic gearbox with AWD.
While the BMW Skytop looks great as it is, we're not expecting BMW to turn the concept into a production vehicle. What we can expect, however, is that some of its distinct features could trickle their way down to production vehicles. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed we're wrong and BMW decides to actually make the concept into reality.
