BMW reveals the Concept Touring Coupe

Now here's a Bimmer concept made specifically for Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. It's called the BMW Concept Touring Coupe and basically, it's a re-bodied Z4 Roadster that's been hand-built and given the shooting brake treatment.

It's a good looking thing, harking back to the original Z3 M Coupe of late nineties lore. Or the 328 Mille Miglia Kamm Coupe of the 1940s and the later 02 Series Touring. We'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The concept model gets numerous visual changes compared to the standard Z4 M340i, such as a reworked bumper and a tweaked grille with vertical fins finished in a unique silver-bronze hue, unlike the matte cerium grey inserts on the production model roadster. 

The window trim elements are finished in the same bronze hue, as are the exhaust tips and the uniquely designed rims — five-spoke light-alloy rims that are strikingly similar to the ones found on the Z8-based Alpina Roadster V8. The biggest change lies in the rear, where the Z4's roadster's canopy has been extended all the way to the aft so it now has a two-box silhouette and a useful rear hatch. Albeit one that has been very tastefully made.

BMW has not revealed specifics of the powertrain under the bonnet. But we're told that it uses the brand's "hallmark six-cylinder in-lline engine", which we'd presume to be the B58 straight-six from the Z4 M40i paired with an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

On the inside, the dashboard layout and interfaces are identical to that of the Z4's, with the same physical buttons and touchscreen. The leatherwork is done by Poltrona Frau, an Italian furniture maker based in Turin, less than 200km away from Lake Como where the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este is held.

Like the Z4, the car only seats two in the passenger cabin. But the absence of the folding soft-top grants the Concept Touring Coupe a large space in the rear for storage. The rear hatch opens to reveal a leather-lined opening that can comfortably accommodate a custom-made and colour-matched set of weekend bags. Or maybe a suitcase if you'd prefer.

That being said, the BMW Concept Touring Coupe is a one-off vehicle for now. According to BMW, there are no plans for it to go into production as of now. So in essence, it is a coach-built, custom-made, achingly pretty shooting brake coupe (hopefully not forever).

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This article was first published in CarBuyer.