BMW Designer Suggests Skytop Could Become 20-Unit Special Edition
Key Takeaways
- BMW may produce limited roadgoing examples of the Concept Skytop.
- 20-25 examples may be produced.
- Potential arrival for the Concept Skytop in late 2025 or early 2026.
This past weekend, BMW revealed the Concept Skytop, a one-off design exercise that calls to mind the BMW 503 and Z8, and depending on the reactions of the public, the automaker may be compelled to produce a limited run of roadgoing examples. BMW Group Design Director Adrian van Hooydonk said the Skytop could have a limited production run, reports Automotive News, with 20 to 25 examples a likely number if the car gets the go-ahead. Bringing the concept to production should not be too challenging since the Skytop is based on the BMW M8 Convertible and has very few unconventional design elements.
2024 BMW M8 Convertible
- Base MSRP
-
$148,800
- Engine
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4.4L Twin-Turbo V8 Gas
- Horsepower
-
617 hp
- Fuel Economy
-
15/22 MPG
Why This And Not Last Year’s Concept Touring Coupé?
At last year’s Villa d’Este extravaganza, BMW presented the Concept Touring Coupé as a BMW Z4 with a fixed roof, and just like the Concept Skytop, reactions were favorable enough for BMW to consider producing a limited number for the well-heeled. At the time, the prevailing rumor was that 50 units could enter production at a cost of $250,000 each, and when it emerged that BMW had abandoned these plans, the automaker never gave a reason for its decision.
So why should the Concept Skytop be any different? Perhaps the increased space and luxury of an M8-based creation are more appealing to the high-end clientele that BMW is trying to attract, or perhaps BMW simply didn’t have the capacity to produce the shooting brake. Whatever the truth, BMW has recent experience with low-volume cars. The $780,000 BMW 3.0 CSL was hand-assembled by a dedicated team at the BMW Dingolfing plant where Rolls-Royce parts are made, so if the Concept Skytop is greenlit for production, we suspect that the same plant would handle assembly.
When Would The Concept Skytop Arrive?
Automotive News reports that the Skytop could reach the market “in late 2025” or “early 2026,” by which point we expect to have more details on the Mercedes Mythos program. BMW’s compatriot rival has been teasing a new line of ultra-luxury vehicles that will be even more exclusive than those offered by its Maybach brand, and Munich is surely taking note. The Alpina brand could bridge the gap between BMW and Rolls-Royce, and something like the Skytop concept would be an ideal way of showing how Alpina can blend M performance with RR luxury. CarBuzz has reached out to BMW for more information and will update this article with whatever response we receive.
Source: Automotive News
