BMW Cars presented the world premiere of its Concept Touring Coupé at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023. The closed two-seater, which was developed for oneoff production, continues the tradition of legendary BMW classics: a timeless symbol of freedom on four wheels and the joy of travelling together.
BMW Design has reimagined the traditional body shape of an elegant sports car, giving the vehicle a shooting brake concept. In the interior, precisely crafted leather surfaces from Italian manufacturer Poltrona Frau create a luxurious ambience. The compartment behind the seats provides ample room to stow luggage for spontaneous trips; the luggage itself was also exclusively custom-made at the Schedoni leather workshop in Modena.
“The BMW Concept Touring Coupé celebrates the original Sheer Driving Pleasure,” says Domagoj Dukec, head of BMW Design. “A highly emotional vehicle like this shows that the passion for everything that goes into driving pleasure has been essential through the ages and will be for the future.” The proportions and name of the hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind BMW Concept Touring Coupé are reminiscent of the 328 Touring Coupé that won the Mille Miglia endurance race back in 1940. The functionality of the shooting-brake concept is a nod to the '02 Touring models of the early 1970s. The styling of the signets on the rear and inside this unique vehicle was inspired by the model inscription of this historic predecessor. The design highlight of the BMW Concept Touring Coupé is its sculpted rear end. Created from the flowing contours of the roof, which merge seamlessly with the rear side panels, the shape accentuates the car's athletic shoulders, while the flat rear window and clearly defined body surfaces emphasise the vehicle’s solid stance.
Viewed from the side, the BMW-typical interpretation of the shooting-brake proportions is clearly recognisable.
The long bonnet, streamlined roof contours and powerful rear section form a distinctive two-box design, while the elongated side window graphic with the Hofmeister kink and flared rear wheel arches underline its sporty elegance.
The Sparkling Lario exterior paintwork was specially created for the Concept Touring Coupé. With embedded flakes of blue glass, its grey-brown hues achieve a unique impression of depth. The effect is completed by silver-bronze accents and the specially designed kidney grille with longitudinal bars. The exclusive light-alloy wheels, measuring 20” at the front and 21” at the rear, provide a logical continuation of these colour accents in the 20-spoke radial design. The intricate implementation and discreet gold-coloured surfaces underline the vehicle’s elegant sporty character.
The interior ambience of the Concept Touring Coupé is defined by the brand’s usual driver orientation in the cockpit, with maximum attention to the choice of materials, colour scheme and workmanship. The exclusive bi-colour leather option divides the interior horizontally into two distinct colour segments. In the upper section, a dark brown tone aids concentration while driving; in the lower section, a light saddle brown brings comfort and warmth into the interior.
Precise perforations, as well as braided leather straps for the seat valences and slide bar, highlight the artisan character of the interior, which combines traditional craftsmanship at the highest level with modern design principles.
High-quality workmanship and attention to detail also characterise the luggage designed exclusively for the Concept Touring Coupé by the long-established Schedoni leather workshop in Modena. The custom-made set consists of three weekend bags, two large and one small, plus a garment bag, all of which are perfectly coordinated with the vehicle.