BMW are using the ‘past to determine our future’ according to Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President of the company’s Brand Design Studio, referring of course, to the BMW Hommage series of cars.
The latest, the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage, is a reboot of the legendary 3.0 CSL, which dates back to 1972 and which ran until 1975, and of which only 1265 were ever made.
It’s a beautiful looking car, all sleek flowing carbon fibre lines and yet still managing to pull off a solid, ruggedly mean and compact look as well. And in keeping with the retro-feel, the car you see here is swathed in BMW Golf Yellow, a colour with a hint of lime.
The CSL Hommage was unveiled by BMW at the 2015 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este situated on the shores of Lake Como in Italy.
The original CSL sports coupe was all about weight saving, and this car compliments that ideal with its body made from lightweight carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP).
The CSL Hommage manages to place a foot firmly in the retro camp as well providing a glimpse of the future of BMW with comparative ease.
The eye-catching Golf Yellow paintwork might be firmly nodding to the past, but the inclusion of eBoost technology, which effectively grabs lost energy to reuse it before it is discarded, is another indication of how far technology has come since the original CSL was speeding round the Nurburgring track.
The all black interior throws in some subtle, but striking, yellow accents on the two seats (no rear seats here – the space is take up with eBoost technology) while the minimalist theme is continued with the inclusion of a steering wheel that is never likely to wear out any part of your trousers and a very basic looking dashboard. The use of wood for the instrument panel (not that there are any instruments cluttering that space) allows the sparse interior to still look surprisingly warm and comfortable. In fact, the 3.0 CSL Hommage is a winner all round.
The Hommage series compliments the feel of the Villa d’Este extremely well, but unlike the 328 and the M1 Hommage, let’s hope this concept can find it’s way into some sort of BMW reality – just as long as they keep that yellow.
Images: classicdriver.com, carmagazine.co.uk
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