New BMW Concept Skytop Previews Marque’s Future Convertibles

Debuting at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is the all-new BMW Concept Skytop design study.

BMW has taken the main stage at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este auto exhibition to showcase its latest design study, known as the BMW Concept Skytop. And as its name suggests, the Skytop is a two-door, two-seater sports concept with an open targa roof that will serve as a preview for future convertible models by the Bavarian automaker.

Compared to BMW’s other futuristic-looking concept models of late, the Concept Skytop is easily the best-looking of the bunch. For starters, this topless concept features a more conventional front face, featuring BMW’s signature kidney grille that is not only well-proportioned but also blends well with the car’s shark nose front end. Flanking the front grille are a pair of slim LED headlights, plus a pair of sizable air intakes sitting below it.

Moving to the sides, the Concept Skytop boasts a sleek silhouette, with its rear targa roofline running all the way to the tailgate. Keen eyes will also notice that the concept ditches conventional door handles in favour of winglet-style ones. BMW also went on to brag about the unique gradient paint job the Skytop boasts, which the Bavarian automaker claimed to have been crafted by one of its most experienced master painters.

At the rear, this sleek targa concept’s sleek LED headlights are matched with a pair of slim LED taillights—both are custom-made for the Skytop, according to BMW. Other than that, there’s also a shark fin-like aluminium trim positioned on its trunk lid, while the presence of the oval-shaped dual tailpipes indicates the nature of this concept’s powertrain setup.

Unlike many other soft-top convertibles or targa-top cars out there, the Concept Skytop’s roof is actually made of leather. To make the stowing process easier, the roof is divided into two parts, with a special compartment available for easier stowage.

On board, the Concept Skytop’s cabin is wrapped in the same reddish-brown hue of leather as the aforementioned roof, complemented by some brogue-like accents and stitching. Evidently, much of the interior’s equipment is borrowed from the ongoing BMW 8 Series, including BMW’s latest iDrive infotainment system and the front dash layout.

The Concept Skytop shares the same twin-turbo V8 powertrain as the M8 Competition.

The 8 Series similarity is not a coincidence, as the Concept Skytop is powered by the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 S63 engine used on the BMW M8 Competition, rated at 617 HP and 750 NM. And that is despite the fact that this concept was supposed to be an ode to the BMW Z8, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Given that the Concept Skytop is powered by an M8 engine, it makes us wonder if there might be more 8 Series homage hiding beneath its sleek body. More importantly, this could also indicate that the Concept Skytop could also serve as a preview to future 8 Series or convertible models by House Bavaria, which will definitely bid well even with the hardest of the hardcore BMW enthusiasts.