BMW has unveiled a beautiful one-off concept two-seat shooting brake at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2023. The Concept Touring Coupe is a combination of a sports car and a station wagon – creating what might be considered a classic shooting brake design – yet this concept is uniquely eye-catching for its proportions.
Most wagon-style vehicles have four seats or a much larger rear cargo area, making them visually larger. The Concept Touring Coupe is more compact in its proportions, with only two seats and a shorter cargo space.
The front and rear wheel overhangs run counter to that look, as they're relatively large compared to those of many compact designs of today. The long touring hood minimizes that counterbalance in visuals, and creates what is a well-done stylistic rendering of what we would ultimately describe as a touring saloon shooting brake.
Many of the modern design elements found on current-generation BMW vehicles are seen on the Concept Touring Coupe. The front grille, similar to that found on the 3-Series, is wide and thin. The hood and body lines are very much like those found on the 5- and 7-Series models, while the rear proportions are much like those of the BMW X models of sport utilities. The wheels are beautifully unique (20-inch at front, 21-inch at rear) and the interior is completely bespoke ... as is the Sparkling Lario paint, which features blue glass flakes.
BMW took the usual driver-oriented approach for the interior's basic design and then put most of its attention on materials choice and workmanship. Bi-color leatherwork from Italy's Poltrona Frau high-end furniture company adorns much of the interior surfaces. This multi-tone of texture and color puts focus on driving (darker colors at top) and comfort (lighter colors below).
Using this motif, BMW commissioned luggage from Schedoni in Modena to complement the concept's cargo space. The two large and one small weekender bags are accompanied by a garment bag to match the Concept Touring Coupe's tone.
The BMW Concept Touring Coupe is on display at the Concourso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Cernobbio, Italy until May 21st.
Source: BMW
But that probably just means I'm not the ridiculously-expensive car marketers target demographic.
One positive thing? BMW stylists finally toned down the kidney grilles.