What Could BMW’s Upcoming Villa d’Este “Hommage” Car Be?
The famous Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is a couple of months away and when that time finally comes, BMW has a couple of interesting surprises in store. According to BMW, one such surprise is going to be a “very special BMW M car.” While we don’t know what that car might be just yet, we’re not as interested in that as we are in its other surprise. BMW said that the next surprise is going to be an “elegantly sporty, one-off homage to motoring for two.” Umm, what?
BMW hasn’t had a homage concept—BMW usually calls them “Hommage” cars—since the 3.0 CSL Hommage a few years back. So news of a new Hommage car is very exciting but what could it possibly be? There’s no official word just yet on what it might be, nor did BMW hint at much more that the aforementioned quote. However, it sure is fun to speculate. So let’s take BMW’s quote about the upcoming Hommage concept, think about what sort of cars BMW is working on at the moment, and try and take a stab at what the concept car might be.
First, let’s start with the quote. Apparently, the car is going to be a one-off Hommage concept, which likely means it won’t be headed to production. While Hommage cars almost never turn into actual production cars, the CSL Hommage actually ended up becoming a real car, the new and highly exclusive 3.0 CSL. So maybe never say never. The concept is also supposed to be elegant but sporty “homage to motoring,” which leads us to think that it’s likely going to be some sort of long-distance rally-style car, like the original BMW 328 Roadster from the 1930s. Then there’s the last bit, “for two.” That means it’s going to be a two-seater, so a roadster is very much a possibility.
So the quote makes it seem like it’s going to be some sort of classically styled roadster. Now let’s look at BMW’s future and what it’s working on—electrification. BMW admittedly isn’t jumping into electrified waters with both feet just yet but electric vehicles will be the brand’s most important vehicles moving forward. So this Hommage car is likely going to be fully electric. An all electric two-seat, long-distance roadster, perhaps?
I wouldn’t rule it out. Remember, BMW is killing off the Z4 Roadster after this generation but that’s not to say an electric version is out of the question. If I were to venture a guess, I’d say that BMW sees the buzz surrounding Porsche’s upcoming electric Boxster, Genesis’ electric X Convertible concept, and the Polestar O2 electric convertible concept and wants to gauge public perception on a version of its own. So I feel like this is going to be some sort of BMW 328 Hommage concept but reimagined with an electric powertrain and tweaked styling, to see if the public is interested enough in such a car.
By calling it a one-off, there’s no disappointment if it’s never made. So if BMW doesn’t feel like the public will buy one, it can bin the project with little wasted effort. But if the public goes nuts for it, maybe it takes it a step further into production.
Of course, I have absolutely no idea what this concept car might be. BMW hasn’t said anything, nor do we have any inside information on it. I’m just doing my best sleuthing and attempting to make an educated guess based on the little information we have. What about you, what do you think it might be and what are you hoping that it will be?