Pebble Beach: BMW reveals 3.0 CSL Hommage R

Following on from the awesome BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage shown at Villa d’Este earlier this year, BMW has unveiled another Hommage concept ahead of its debut at this weekend's famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Dubbed the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R, the latest coupe concept is an altogether racier version, celebrating 40 years of BMW in North America, while also paying tribute to the incredible BMW 3.0 CSL IMSA racers of 1975.

North America played host to BMW’s first official sales outlet outside of Europe that year, and it didn’t take long for the Bavarian company to impress on American race tracks, taking victory at the legendary Sebring 12 Hour and going on to take the manufacturers’ championship that year.

The 3.0 CSL Hommage R wears livery inspired by 1975’s BMW Motorsport livery, which was completed by the famous ‘Bavarian Motor Works’ legend spread across the slanted windscreen’s top edge.

But while the Hommage R looks to the past and will likely never see production, BMW is using the concept as a view to the future.

“Back in 1975, as today, winning races came down to how man and machine could work together," said Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design.

"Technical innovations have taken the effectiveness of this partnership to ever great heights. And with the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R we’re aiming to show how much closer the driver and car can grow in the future."

The Hommage R concept differs from the earlier 3.0 CSL Hommage by taking the driver as its design starting point. As a result, the driver’s racing suit, helmet and seat accommodation were focused on before the interior lines were finalised.

The helmet visor becomes a head-up style display, which can show situation-based information including speed, selected gear and engine revs.

Incredibly, the Puma-designed race suit uses illuminated piping, which functions when both of the driver’s hands are on the steering wheel. The suit lights up to ‘show the progress of information’ as it flows from the steering column, up the driver’s arms and into the visor.

Seating is via carbon-fibre shells, which reflect the anatomy of a seated driver. Carbon-fibre also forms an extended line through the rear of the vehicle, supposedly enhancing torsional rigidity.

There’s also a carbon roll cage, while the ‘wood-like’ dash cross-member is also structural and references the 1970s CSL. This section is backlit and displays the track layout and braking points of the Laguna Seca circuit, a short drive from Pebble Beach and the site of another 1975 BMW IMSA victory.

There’s also an eBoost gauge, hinting at what powers the Hommage, though BMW remains as tight-lipped on the concept’s actual functionality as it does on its production possibilities.

“The vehicle is driveable, but as a hand-built design study it has not been subjected to any performance testing. Details concerning its engine are unavailable given the premise of the vehicle as a design study is to showcase the capabilities of BMW Group Design,” is the official BMW line.

As for that awesome exterior, Karim Habib, Head of Design BMW Automobiles, says: “The exterior and interior design is based around the requirements of motor sport as far as the car and driver are concerned; aerodynamics and driving dynamics on the one hand, the most direct connection between driver and machine on the other.

“In my view, that’s something the Hommage car expresses in a very emotional way. At the same time, all the details from the BMW 3.0 CSL are present in the Hommage model. And they are all there to be discovered in their original form. It’s a bow to the 1975 car.”

A stretched, carbon-rich body, 21-inch wheels, imposing aero and a modern interpretation of the 1975 racing livery ensure the Hommage R will stand out, even amongst Pebble Beach Concours royalty.

More photos of the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R