Long known as the “Ultimate Driving Machine”, BMW has made its mark as a top of the line choice for those who are seeking the best in performance, engineering and styling. In a recent rare break, for the first time in over 30 years, they have left the sensibility of Germany for the sexiness of Italy to create a new masterpiece. BMW has paired with legendary Italian auto design house Zagato to create a beautiful and seductive new car that has the auto design world talking. Zagato has been known for their forward thinking designs with excellent aerodynamics for over 90 years, and their new design collaboration with BMW has created another splash. Though this hand crafted model is a one off, BMW assures that it is road ready, willing and able.
Since its recent premiere at the historic Concorso d’Eleganza auto show on the shores of beautiful Lake Como in Northern Italy, BMW has been justifiably “bimming” over this new Bimmer. Traditionally known for its exclusive display of historic automobile design, the show is also a gathering place for the leading designers of the auto world, providing them an opportunity to view the latest concept cars and prototypes.
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The design idea behind the car was to build upon the Vmax concept, to create a practical, yet high speed, aerodynamically excellent, beautifully designed vehicle which is road ready, meeting all safety and crash related requirements worldwide. Dr. Andrea Zagato, third generation leader of his family’s company stated that the biggest challenge was in “injecting the emotional appeal of a concept car into a road-legal machine.” Though BMW doesn’t say so, the car appears to be based on the Z4, with its reminiscent long sweeping nose which dips toward the road at the front. The Zagato influence is seen all over the car, from the signature double bubble roof, to the familiar vertical drop at the back. The stylized grille makes it readily apparent that this is a BMW. The grille, with its integrated air intakes is actually composed of a grid of Z’s, said to be inspired by the geodesic architecture of Buckminster Fuller.
It is doubtful that the car will ever make it into production, but this brilliant collaborative effort between Munich and Milan will surely affect future designs in the BMW portfolio of vehicles in the future.
