Robert Moore wrote:If you look back on this history of the Villa d’Este Concours event, you will find a lot of hype about models like the BMW CSL Hommage from last year and the 328 Hommage from before that. Needless to say, BMW likes to bring the past to present with some interesting concepts that pay tribute to older models from years past. This year, BMW is bringing another “very special model,” called the BMW 2002 Hommage, a model that is based on the BMW 2002 Turbo.
Underneath all the fancy body lines and the little pieces that trigger memories from way back when, the BMW 2002 Hommage is probably just an M2. Be that as it may, it’s still a pretty nice place to start. Adrian van Hooydonk, the Senior Vice President of BMW Group Design, said, “Exactly 50 years ago, the 02 range kick-started an era of success for BMW. This compact coupe is one of the vehicles which made the brand what it is today. The 2002 sat at the top of the range and was the first series-produced car anywhere in Europe to come with turbo technology. That set the seal on the coupe as a genuine sports car. At the same time, the 2002 turbo was at the technological vanguard of engine development at BMW. The BMW 2002 Hommage is our way of raising a glass to all these achievements.”
Karim Habib, the Head of Design for BMW Automobiles, believes that the BMW 2002 Hommage “encapsulates BMW’s major motorsport triumphs” and is a “confident statement of unadulterated driving joy.” So, with that said, let’s take a closer look at BMW’s latest concept for the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and what it’s all about.
Exterior
Up front, the BMW 2002 Hommage has a rather aggressive design with the fascia making up a huge vent on either side of the headlights. Those headlights, by the way, are also single-light units that harken back to the original 02 series. As usual, the front end still sports that iconic kidney bean grille, but on this model it has vertical slats that characterize the length of the front end. Down below, there is a carbon fiber front splitter with the inside, flat edge featuring red and blue stripes. The mesh in the air dam is also painted gloss black. The hood itself is smooth, but muscular at the same time with a central body line and more dominate lines to the outside.
Moving over to the side of the 2002 Hommage, there are more smooth but muscular design cues. There is an excessively strong bodyline running from the front fender all the way back to the rear. The wheel arches are wide and sleek with the body sitting lower enough that the wheels almost sit flush with the edges of the wheel arches. Just behind the front wheel arch, the body kit creates a small vent that leads into a recess that runs along the bottom of the door. In front of the rear arch, the sculpted body line comes to a sharp point with a smaller opening at the bottom that acts as another vent. The rear wheel arch is almost completely smooth, with a light body line where the rear fascia meets the rear quarter. The only visible seams on the car are around the door, and those seams are extremely close together.
Around back there is a clear mixture of past and present in the overall design of the rear end. There are the twin dual exhaust outlets. The rear fascia is smooth toward the bottom, but as you move farther up just past the mild body line that runs the width of the fascia, there is an embedded reflector on each corner that also houses the reverse lights. The dark glass taillight lenses are connected with a glass strip that runs the width of the rear. The lenses feature two LED strips that encompass the outer and lower edges of the lenses for taillight functions. There is a BMW logo just to the right of the license plate recess.
The car itself is painted in a light baby blue, but the upper half of the car is painted in a matte finish to prevent any reflection from the sun – a feature common to race cars of the past. There are certain cues that are inspired by the original 02 series, and more specifically the BMW 2002 BMW 2002 , but there are also plenty of modern design cues as well. All told, it isn’t a bad design and it’s finally a concept that’s really worth looking at.
Interior
As far as the interior goes, BMW has remained completely silent about what the inside of the BMW 2002 homage looks like. Considering the concept is probably an M2 under the skin, chances are you’ll see all of the M2’s appointments inside when the Concept makes its official debut. That said, expect to see the M2’s driver-oriented cabin, along with the M-specific features like the steering wheel, instrument cluster, and even the infotainment screen. I would expect to see plenty of fine leather and Alcantara throughout the cabin. Furthermore, I would expect to see other concept-specific add-ons that also pay homage to the 02 series of decades past.
Drivetrain
As is the case with most “Hommage” concepts, this model is all about design and paying tribute to BMW’s past and current design philosophies. That means, like the interior, we have no idea about what is going on under the hood. Considering the idea that it is probably a modified M2, I suspect that the concept also has the same 3.0-liter that delivers 365 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque. BMW says the exterior design provides aerodynamic cues that ensure optimal downforce at all times, so this baby might actually hug the track better than the M2. As far as we can tell, the concept should be able to hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and will likely top out at 155. Expect to see a six-speed manual transmission under the hood as well.
