BMW has chosen the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy to present to the world its latest concept—the BMW 3.0CSL Hommage. On May 22, 2015, the world will see the BMW Design Team’s tribute to the classic, timeless, and iconic BMW 3.0CSL, the car that put the motorsports world on notice that BMW was here to win and here to stay.
The original CSL was a lightweight version of the Big Coupe. It put the “L” in “CSL.” We suspect the BMW 3.0CSL Hommage will draw on BMW’s expertise in lightweight and composite materials to keep the weight down on this concept, too.
BMW tells us that the body of the 3.0CSL Hommage will be framed by air deflectors, pronounced wheel arches, and a prominent roof and rear spoiler. The sides are described as “stretched” and “an elegant counterpoint to the distinctly sporty front and rear ends.” Expect to see a lot of carbon fiber, especially in the lower areas. Remember the “light” part. BMW was kind enough to give us one—only one—teaser photo. What little we can see looks very promising.
The interior could be described as minimalist, with nothing that is not essential to the car’s structure or the driver’s ability to take the car to its limits. BMW describes it as “technical supremacy and formal sophistication.” We’re not sure what that really means but we can’t wait to see it.
The original BMW 3.0CSLs—especially the racing “Batmobiles”—have always been among our all-time favorite BMWs. Some of us are old enough to have seen them race in person at Le Mans. That was exciting. Will the BMW 3.0CSL Hommage be as exciting? We’ll find out in ten days.—Scott Blazey
[Photo courtesy of BMW AG.]
