As the old saying goes, “If you build it, they will come.” In the case of the BMW Skytop Concept, everyone showed up before the vehicle was even built. That’s the bad news. The Good news is that it is being built at all.
Introduced at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, an ever-popular Bavarian event in northern Italy, the BMW Skytop was an instant show favorite and modern classic. Why wouldn’t that be the case? The little one lie is an absolute stunner. Unlike some recent BMW designs, the Skytop generated a consensus approval rating. But something this beautiful would never go into production. Manufacturing regulations have a tendency to ruin a design in the name of safety and ease of use, and executives have said so.
“Most of the time there is no production,” says BMW Group Design Director Adrian van Hooydonk BMWBlog at the time. “We’re not sure yet whether we’ll make it [the Skytop]. But that was possible, because this time we put everything we learned into the design phase.”
Those lessons came from the limited-edition, concept-turned 2023 BMW 3.0 CSL. BMW’s design boss suggested a similar small-batch build was possible. Van Hooydonk said the Skytop Concept design was ready for production, including the street-legal headlights and taillights. And what about from a technical point of view? “From a technical point of view, it is indeed very feasible,” he said BMWBlog. Blessed be the day!
But such a day came and went because Van Hooydonk recently confirmed that the Skytop Concept would go into production after all, but in the same breath stated that all 50 have already been accounted for.
“The BMW Skytop is a truly exotic design and offers a combination of driving dynamics and elegance at the highest level,” says Van Hooydonk. “To finally be able to announce that this car will be built is like a dream come true. Thank you for the very positive response around the world and for the passionate team that worked on the project.”
Should this all really be a surprise? The concept was designed to be road-ready, the response was ‘compelling’ and perhaps some veiled threats had something to do with the production decision.
BMW said the allocation was reserved for enthusiasts and collectors. The car manufacturer did not reveal anything else about the distribution of how much here, there and where. Munich did confirm that the concept’s powertrain would translate into the production model. The Skytop will have BMW’s most powerful V8, a 4.4-liter engine that produces 625 hp. With an 8-speed Steptronic Sport automatic transmission and a four-wheel drive configuration. BMW says the Skytop will have a 0-100 km (62 mph) time of 3.3 seconds.
How much will the selected 50 buyers pay? BMWBlog says sources suggest a Skytop price of 500,000 euros ($547,000 at current exchange rates). However, the final number could be more. The 3.0 CSL probably started for around 750,000 euros ($820,000). There’s also no word on when production and deliveries will begin, but it’s exciting to know that one day, somewhere, one of these beautiful machines will hopefully be seen in motion.
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