BMW unveils sleek Zagato coupe
Stunning BMW Zagato Coupe emerges at Italy's famed Villa d'Este ConcoursSee more stunning pics of BMW Zagato Coupe from sketch to concept.
BMW and Zagato have used the weekend’s prestigious Villa d’Este Concours on Italy’s Lake Como to jointly unveil this stunning BMW Zagato Coupe.
Although the sleek two-seat coupe is fully road legal and has even undergone high-speed testing at BMW’s test track, the hand-built one-off concept car is designed to highlight the automotive design passion of both the Munich maker and the Milanese coachbuilder, rather than preview the Bavarian brand’s next-generation Z4 coupe-convertible.
The BMW-Zagato creation, which is likely to be based on BMW’s current Z4, was overseen by Zagato chief designer Norihiko Harada, who is close friends with BMW Group Design Senior Vice-President Adrian van Hooydonk.
It showcases a number of the Italian styling house’s signature design cues, led chiefly by a subtle ‘double-bubble’ roof as seen on the car that won last year’s Villa d’Este Concours, Aston Martin’s million-dollar V12 Zagato, which has now entered production.
Other design hallmarks include a bluff bootlid made from glass, large cooling ducts on the long, heavily sculpted bonnet, which pushes the cab rearward in typical BMW roadster fashion, heavily stylised front and rear bumpers, unique wheels, eye-catching new exhaust outlets and a sumptuous hand-crafted leather interior.
“Zagato has always provided its customers with ready-to-drive cars which can be sent into action on the road or race track without further ado – and the BMW Zagato Coupe fits the same template,” said company chief Dr Andrea Zagato.
“It is relatively easy to build a design study which is not intended for use on the road. Not having to meet any stipulations governing crash safety or pedestrian protection opens up a host of new avenues in terms of design. The challenge lies in injecting the emotional appeal of a concept car into a road-legal machine. And we think we have succeeded in doing just that with the BMW Zagato Coupe.”
It is not the first time BMW has used the Villa d’Este Concours to stage the world debut of a new concept. Last year the German brand unveiled the BMW 328 Hommage, an extreme open-top two-seater tribute to the company’s original 328 racing car, which at the time celebrated its 75th anniversary.
Similarly, the M1 Hommage concept was wheeled out at the 2008 event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of BMW’s lauded supercar.
See more stunning pics of BMW Zagato Coupe from sketch to concept.
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