You could call some of BMW’s recent styling hit or miss…but this looks exceptional.
If you’re feeling a little bit of déjà vu here, don’t worry: You just remembered BMW’s Skytop convertible concept. The automaker revealed that car at the 2024 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como in Italy, and now it’s back again with a follow-up. At its core, the 8 Series-Based BMW Concept Speedtop is a shooting brake version of that car, with just as many stunning details to pore over. And like the convertible, this model will go into extremely limited production, with BMW building just 70 units for interested, well-heeled buyers.
At the front, the BMW Concept Speedtop is nearly identical to its convertible counterpart. You may lambast BMW’s decision to make their kidney grille ever bigger with each generation of its production cars, but the Speedtop (and Skytop) dial things back a bit, while adding some vertical slots for a bit extra depth. Moving past the thin headlights, the Speedtop widens out in profile as you move out to the rear, while maintaining a low roofline to give it a streamlined look.
Honestly, the back end of the BMW Concept Speedtop is arguably the most interesting element, including the center spline that moves from the hood at the front through the roof to the rear spoiler. Even though this car does take on a slightly more practical hatchback look, you also still get concept-like thin lights and sharp creases along the rear quarters and on the tailgate, giving a bit more of a muscular look.
Beyond the exterior styling and the 14-spoke two-tone wheels, you also get a “Floating Sunstone Maroon” color that works its way to the interior as well. Once you are inside, the BMW Concept Speedtop (again, like the Skytop) gets much more conventional. This is, fundamentally, based on the 8 Series coupe, so you get a similar interior, just with the Sundown Maroon leather offset with Moonstone White on the lower portions. The rear area doesn’t actually feature any rear seats, but you do get a couple shelves for your matching Schedoni bags that come with the car, while you can also get a matching duffel bag to store in the trunk.
Under the hood, BMW didn’t go into too many details on the Speedtop’s propulsion. Given that the automaker did say this car features “the most powerful V8 engine currently offered by BMW”, though, we know what to expect. That description fits the brand’s 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged eight-cylinder, putting out 617 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Naturally, the Speedtop is all-wheel drive, and that power makes its way down to the ground through an 8-speed automatic transmission.
BMW also didn’t disclose exactly how much each of the 70 Speedtop models would cost. Partially, that may be down to individual customer choices. It’s one of those cases of, “if you have to ask…”, and BMW knows exactly who’s going to jump in line to snap these up. If you are, as the company points out, one of many “collectors and enthusiasts” gunning for an exclusive model, you can put an order in for a Speedtop right now. Just plan on setting aside a few hundred thousand dollars in the process.
