BMW has released pictures of its 3.0 CSL Hommage as the car makes its public debut at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. Created as a tribute to the iconic 3.0 CSL of the 1970s, the design concept blends futuristic lines with familiar shapes of the original.
Sitting low and wide on 21-inch bi-colour wheels, it wears enormous arches that reach over onto the bonnet up front, and stretch up into a large rear wing at the back.
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Slim headlights are separated by wide-mouthed kidney grilles and a smiling mouth intake, and lead into a swooping bonnet and sleek body. From all angles, the car is seriously imposing.
The concept is far more than just a demonstration of design however, as BMW has constructed it using the latest weight saving techniques. The bonnet, boot and wings are made from aluminium, the windows are Plexiglas and equipment inside has been trimmed to the bare essentials.
Carbonfibre reinforced plastic is also used extensively, and remains exposed to emphasise the car’s lightweight focus. As a result, the Hommage weighs a substantial 200kg less than the original 3.0 CS (the car the homologation special CSL was developed from).
Though the Hommage won’t make production, the car on which it is based is often labelled, unofficially, as the first M car. Powered by a 3-litre straight-six engine (capacity grew to 3.1-litres in 1973), the 3.0 CSL was a lightened, more aerodynamic version of the CS. Its large rear wing and bulky bumpers earned it the nickname ‘the batmobile.’
The car was created so BMW could build homologated racers to compete in the European Touring Car Championship. To pay tribute, BMW says the 2015 Hommage takes influence from its current racing DTM cars.
The car makes its debut at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, and follows a long list of one-off BMWs to make their first appearances at the show, which takes place annually on the shores of Lake Como, Italy.
