Has the homage been a success?
05/28/2015
At the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este , BMW presented ( as it does every year) a concept car that is linked to its own tradition. In 2015, the BMW 3.0 CSL (the English call it the "Batmobile", the "L" stands for light, the 3.0 CSL was based on the BMW 2.8 CSCoupé presented in 1968), which served as the basis for racing a good 40 years ago with its lightweight construction and eye-catching wing structure.
In 2015, lightweight construction is of course still an issue and so carbon fiber-reinforced plastics were used extensively in the 3.0 CSL Hommage.
"The BMW 3.0 CSL is a stylistic icon for us BMW designers. Its combination of racing references and elegance creates an engaging aesthetic that still inspires today. The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage quotes many of its characteristic features without copying them. Some parallels are not immediately obvious. We wanted you to feel the relationship more than see it immediately." Karim Habib, Head of BMW Design, was quoted as saying in the press release for the concept car.
In fact, the modern descendant also looks good, although the details are a little too playful, whereas its role model focused on simplicity and functionality. Nevertheless, the homage can be considered a success, not least because the focus was not too heavily on retro design, as it honors the original and it is difficult to surpass that.
Visually, however, the study is based more on the widened racing touring car than on the narrow production car that BMW presented in photos for comparison.
But the best thing about the BMW concept car is that it actually drives, so we wouldn't mind taking it for a spin, even if we remain fans of the 1970s CSL at heart.
