A car as striking as the Speedtop certainly deserves a place at an art fair. BMW marked the shooting brake’s Indian debut at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds in New Delhi during the 17th edition of the India Art Fair. The two-door wagon remains a concept for now, but a limited production run is already planned.
BMW hardly needs to advertise the Speedtop anymore, as all 70 examples have been spoken for since last August. Production isn’t scheduled to begin until the end of this year. For now, the special projects team is currently busy building the 50 Skytop targa models. Both ultra-exclusive cars represent the final swan song for the M8 and for the 8 Series lineup as a whole.
With mild hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs steadily taking over, we reckon the Speedtop will be among the last BMWs to feature a pure V8 setup. Pair that ICE-only configuration with the stunning design and extremely limited availability, and all the ingredients of an instant collectible are there. Whether that will translate into soaring values 10 to 20 years from now remains to be seen. Still, we suspect most of these cars will be rarely driven, as owners are likely to keep them in climate-controlled garages to protect their resale value should they decide to sell one day.
Whatever the outcome, it’s hard to argue against BMW broadening its horizons with limited-run special projects. The Skytop and Speedtop follow in the footsteps of the 3.0 CSL and the Concept Touring Coupe. However, the latter never reached production. That Z4 M40i-based beauty was also a shooting brake and came tantalizingly close to receiving the green light. Sadly, it never did.
BMW has a long tradition of unveiling concept cars at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Only recently, however, has the company begun turning some of those one-offs into ultra-low-volume production models. These specials are reportedly the most expensive cars ever to wear the famous roundel. Official pricing has never been disclosed, but the Skytop and Speedtop were allegedly sold for around €500,000 apiece. The M4 CSL-based 3.0 CSL was said to be even more expensive, at an unconfirmed €750,000.
Given the apparent appetite for ultra-expensive models, the timing could be right for a bespoke car under the newly formed BMW ALPINA brand. Whether that will actually happen remains to be seen, as ALPINA’s new era under the BMW Group umbrella begins with the 7 Series facelift. A second-generation X7 with an ALPINA touch will follow later this decade. Ideally, a standalone model would be a natural and welcome addition to the lineup.
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