BMW might be putting a focus on the future of mobility at the moment, but that hasn't stopped it from taking a glimpse at the rear-view mirror. The 2002 Hommage concept pays tribute to the compact coupe that set the blueprint for the Bavarian company's modern sport sedans.
Where the classic 2002 used chrome trim to highlight the lines around the cabin, the Hommage's designers have turned to carbon fiber. The chrome band running around the old car's body has been subbed out for a horizontal carbon band, designed to visually separate the top and bottom half of the flanks.
Also separating the top and bottom half of the concept is a hybrid matte and gloss paint finish. The roof, bonnet and bootlid are all finished in matte paint, a technique used on old racers to cut down on sun glare. Meanwhile, the bottom half is finished in a high-gloss paint designed to highlight the curves and cuts on the bodywork.
Although the original 2002 Turbo had a simple bolt-on bodykit, the modern interpretation is something far more complicated. The wheelarches are big and bulbous, and seem completely at odds with some of the square-edged air intakes and creases around the body.
Whereas the old car's delicate bolt-on wheelarches were born to contain the wider track required for racing, the modern reimagining's are home to two-tone wheels that could have come directly from the M Performance add-on catalogue.
It's a similar story up front, where the simple round headlamps and front apron of the 2002 Turbo have been modernized into bulbous (and somewhat incongruous) design elements. We do like the ridge that runs down the middle of the hood, because it's a reference that has been subtly executed. Sometimes, less is more.
At the back end, the car's flared wheelarches flow into a rounded bumper, which sits below simple taillights and a neat horizontal band. To our eyes, the Hommage looks best from this angle, where its squat proportions and bulbous bodywork make it look low and wide.
As you might have gathered, we're not completely sold on the way the Hommage looks. It seems like a bit of a missed opportunity, and compared to the original it looks big and bloated. Still, beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say – the 3.0 CSL Hommage wasn't our favorite piece of design either, but plenty of our readers were fans of that.
The latest Hommage is on display at Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.
Source: BMW
