New BMW Concept Speedtop: ultimate V8 estate unveiled
BMW doubles down on the fast estate with the Concept Speedtop, an ultra-exclusive V8 special destined for Villa d'Este
The fast estate is a genre we can all get behind, pairing performance with practicality for the best of both worlds. The BMW M3 and M5 Touring both prove Munich knows how to meet the brief, but now it's going one step further with an ultra-exclusive take on the estate: the Concept Speedtop. Pricing is yet to be announced, but expect each of the 70 examples to cost from around £500,000.
BMW often has a strong presence at Italy’s Villa d'Este show, and last year was no different. On the shores of Lake Como in Italy, BMW revealed the Skytop, an equally exclusive drop-top based on the M8 Competition convertible. With the reception so positive, its engineers went back to the drawing board to create another model of the same ilk, borrowing the Skytop design language to create the Speedtop we see here.
> BMW Skytop spotted on the road for the first time – £400,000 special nears production
A three-door estate with a slick, elegant profile, the model is a departure from BMW’s recent trend of slab-sided bodywork and oversized kidney grilles. Instead, the Speedtop features slick sculpted elements like some of BMW models from the past, with sharp, more conventional V-shape kidney grilles (albeit illuminated) and slim, aggressive headlines reminiscent of those on the M8 Gran Coupe concept of 2018.
It also features a unique central ridge, running all the way down the length of its sculpted bonnet and down the roof to meet a roof-mounted spoiler. There’s even a subtle colour gradient from maroon to silver down the length of that roof, with two-tone 14-spoke wheels unique to this car.
Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group design, said: 'The BMW Concept Speedtop is characterised first of all by its profile. It is very unique in the automotive industry. In this way, we have created an exclamation mark for our entire lineup of vehicles, especially for the Touring models.'
The cabin is just as dramatic as the exterior, with rear seats swapped for compartments that hold bespoke, fitted luggage designed by Italian manufacturer Schedoni. Each and every surface inside is finished in either maroon or ‘Moonstone’ white leather - broguing on many of the vertical surfaces elevating it to a level above its standard production counterparts.
The boot is lined in leather to match the cabin, with a classy warm white lighting strip both a practical and aesthetically pleasing addition. This lighting treatment continues in the passenger compartment, with a central lighting unit (mounted in a similar fashion to that in the Bugatti Chiron) providing soft indirect light throughout.
BMW hasn’t announced much in the way of performance stats for the Speedtop, but it has revealed that it features the most powerful V8 engine currently offered in any of its cars. That means it will probably share the 617bhp 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 of the Skytop, sending that power to all four wheels via an xDrive all-wheel drive system, as found in its M8 donor car. Performance stats are still under wraps, but the convertible Skytop manages a strong 3.3sec 0-62mph sprint.
Exact pricing details are yet to be announced, but with its Skytop relative priced from over £400,000, we wouldn’t expect the 70 lucky buyers to see much change from £500,000. Order books are open now, with 70 examples set to be produced (20 more than the convertible Skytop).
