BMW has been teasing something “dynamic, elegant and exotic” for this year’s Villa d’Este concourse, and that has resulted in the new Concept Speedtop.
While it’s labelled as a concept, the Speedtop follows closely in the footsteps of last year’s Concept Skytop, which also made its debut at the prestigious event on the shores of Lake Como, Italy.
Development of the open-top Skytop has continued over the past year, and it’s been spotted testing on numerous occasions. Judging by the production version’s uncanny resemblance to the original concept, it’s safe to expect a similar approach for the Speedtop.
That said, don’t expect to spot one on the road anytime soon. The 2024 Skytop was an instant sell-out with all 50 units spoken for even before the official reveal, despite a hefty price tag in the region of £500,000. The Speedtop isn’t much easier to get your hands on, with just 70 examples planned and a similar price point.
Underneath, the Concept Speedtop shares its platform and key components with the Skytop, including its base, the range-topping M8 Competition from the current 8 Series line-up. That means a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 resides under the sculpted bonnet, pushing out 616 hp (459 kW) to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. While it’s unclear how the shooting brake-style body affects overall weight, the 0 to 100 km/h sprint should remain around the 3.2-second mark.
BMW calls the Concept Speedtop a reimagining of the sporty Touring, with design boss Adrian van Hooydonk describing it as “very unique in the automotive industry,” and adding: “In this way, we have created an exclamation mark for our entire line-up, especially for the Touring models.”
Like the Skytop, the Speedtop features a distinctive centre spine that runs from the reworked kidney grilles over the bonnet and along the roof, ending at the elevated rear to create that unmistakable shooting brake silhouette. It also gets unique design flourishes, including 14-spoke wheels and a special exterior paint finish that fades from Floating Sunstone Maroon to Floating Sundown Silver.
Inside, the Speedtop continues to separate itself with a bespoke interior, mixing white and brown leather, and a ‘BMW Concept Speedtop’ script etched into the centre console. Up front, it remains familiar, carrying over the 8 Series dashboard with its 12.3-inch digital display.
Things are noticeably different at the back. Instead of retaining the M8’s four-seat layout, BMW has opted for a more practical design, removing the rear seats entirely in favour of dual luggage compartments, split by a centre section also bearing the Speedtop name.
BMW is no stranger to these limited-run showpieces at Villa d’Este. In 2023, the brand revealed the Concept Touring Coupé, a modern take on the classic Z3 M ‘Clown Shoe’, while back in 2016, the Hommage concept paid tribute to the legendary 2002 Turbo, built on the bones of the outgoing M2.
