By KBC Associate 
BMW has released the first images of a new model set to be revealed at the upcoming Villa d’Este Concours, seemingly fusing last year’s Skytop concept with the famed ‘Clownshoe’ Z3 M Coupé.
Images posted to social media show the silhouette of a model with the same rear lights as the Skytop, a rakish open-top GT unveiled at last year’s Villa d’Este Concours, but a reworked tail section.
Rather than a long deck housing a convertible roof panel, it appears to be a shooting brake with a rakish glasshouse and a prominent ducktail-style roof spoiler.
Its form appears to reference the Z3 M as well as the Z4-based Touring Coupé concept that BMW revealed at Villa d’Este in 2023.
The Touring Coupé never made it to production but the Skytop, on the other hand, is being readied for a limited run of 50 road-going cars.
Testing of these cars – based on the CLAR platform that underpins every BMW from the 3 Series upwards and packing a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 – recently ramped up ahead of this year’s Villa d’Este Concours, which opens on 23 May.
Discussing the impact of Villa d’Este, BMW M chief Frank van Meel last year told Autocar: “It is a little bit like a test balloon: you show the cars and, if there’s enough demand, it can be built.
“I think the demand is quite high, so [the] probability is quite high. We will see over the next few weeks if that interest translates into purchasing orders.
“The probability is there. It shows [that] we always want to try new things and see if there is a demand. Even though we’re a big company, it’s not the main purpose to build a small series.