Just in time for the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’este, BMW revealed a stunning concept today that is just magnificent. Unlike last year’s concept, the automaker chose to blend retro and contemporary styling cues to give every kidney grille fan a real treat.
Last year, BMW shared with the world a 3.0L CSL Hommage that contained some cool ideas, but felt disjointed, and to my eyes was even a tad ugly. Many people felt that BMW had lost its way, but this year BMW hit back, knocking it out of the park with a concept known simply as the 2002 Hommage.
Based on the M2, the concept arrives just in time for the 50th anniversary of the 2002 — the car that put BMW on the map. Borrowing some cues from the 2002 Turbo of old while keeping some of the M2’s design language, the striking concept shows what we all want from the automaker: sporting, dashing design.
From the 2002’s squared front, to the “turbo” badging on the front fascia, this car is a greatest hits compilation of the original 2002 and the Turbo. Quad tailpipes, carbon fiber, and LED lighting inject modernity into the quasi-retro design. M mirrors remain, along with a wide stance.
There’s no word on the concept’s power figures, but since it is based on the M2, you can take an educated guess. Still, horsepower and torque isn’t important when dealing with a concept. Take a moment to look at this car and appreciate it. If anything, this proves that Bimmer can still make a stunning vehicle.
We can only hope that BMW adopts more of this design language in the future.
[Images: BMW Group]
Those clipped/chamfered/phantom corners are everyone’s next design language.
May the Lord have mercy on our souls.
Lil louvers, little buttress. Suddenly the XJS was so far ahead of its time.
It does work on the tail, but the front reminds me of the current Toyota design language, but done by people with actual taste.
I can really see those front marker lights and fender/bumper gills being the next new hotness.
Ain’t nothing wrong with a buttressed rear window!
Looks like a Cadillac ELR with a JC Whitney body kit to me.
I really like it, then again, I’d really LOVE to have an original 2002 turbo. I still look at the possibility of a M2 as my next car.
As this car will never be a production model, I’m pretty sure it has the standard M2 engine and specs.
I look at this and think it’s probably a working prototype, but I know BMW will never actually produce it. It would be a cool limited model though
And BMW finds new ways to expand the definition of the word ‘overstyled’.
Yup. I simply don’t get it. The beauty of the 2002 was that is was well proportioned and simple. Form followed function.
This is the opposite.
The greenhouse is round and the rest of the body is sharp-edged. It reminds me of what someone once said to describe the New Edge Mustang: a baseball cap on a shoebox.
At LEAST square-off the windows, in the mid-80s idiom. (E-30 in particular, if the Wikipedia article is worth anything.)
Add me to the WTF? camp. Not sure what design language BMW is speaking here, but it’s Greek to me. Or maybe pig-latin.
You can see where the plastic fascia could come off revealing a 2002 front end- but its just glued on after market.
I judge that bmw has always been borderline cheap and tacky.
This 2002 is the murder weapon.
the 1 series is the only one I like- but the interior is so cheap and the colors- bland.
Is it that hard to build a reliable, decent looking smallish/lightish coupe in fun colors that has some power and is fun to drive year round in a place w. snow (sorry miata)?
I’ll get strung up by BMW fans, but the front end reeks partly of old Quattro and part of new Camaro.
It’s Bangle’s Revenge.
I see random Chinese auto company knock off coupe with the elements you mentioned. It’s a Camaro/Quattro glazed with BMW frosting.
It needs the narrower kidney grilles. IMO they give the cars more character. Compare a 1993 5 series vs a 1994 for example.
Whole bunch of N O P E going on right there.
Could not have said it better my self!!
Wow, that is truly, amazingly ugly. The regular M2 is vastly better.
the box flares and raised decklid with spoiler have a lot of E30 M3 influence to my eyes.
Hommage? I’m thinking frommage.
Cheesy
Absolutely dreadful.
Looks “hip”.
This former 1972 2002tii owner sees nothing about this “hommage” that even remotely suggests the iconic 2002, outside of non-paired headlamps and the Hofmeister kink. Unimpressed.
Totally e30 M3 homage. Perhaps the marketing drones couldn’t find an unmolested e30 M3 so the 2002 was dragged out for the Glamour Shotz. Note to internet basement bummer commandoez: an e30 M3 engine is a straight-forward drop into a 2002 by a good independent mechanic and a whole lot of fun after the swap. In the mid 90’s this was a $4000-$5000 swap in my left coast region.
Long ago, I had a 2002. This is nothing like it. The 1 series was closer in appearance. The greenhouse is fine and the rear not bad. To repeat another comment, the rest is overstyled to the point of being grotesque. BMW’s are supposed to be elegant, high performance, luxury cars. This looks like a Honda Civic for which a teenager spent his summer job earnings on aftermarket body parts.
The original 2002 was a masterpiece of automotive styling. The front of this thing looks like the pug nosed face of true fear.
Hey Pat, glad you like it. I don’t.
Today’s BMW! A tribute to your bad taste!
Gott im Himmel! Nein! To paraphrase…I once knew a 2002…you, sir, are no 2002!
Somebody has to like it I guess. This is just as bad as the CSL Homage, the only thing less ugly is the colour, and even that is up to debate.
Is this article satirical?
I didn’t perceive it that way at first glance, but if you read the whole thing, it’s obvious. Every single line is outrageous.
Well done. I enjoy that sort of humor.
I gave it a re-read, and I can’t say the satire is obvious, but it might or might not be there. Which to me makes it more enjoyable, I’m honestly not sure what Pat’s take on this monstrosity is. Well played Mr. Hoffstetter!
In my last digestive walk I happened to pass by a 1980s 7-series. That was a cool car. What the above exercise in pre-crashing crash-zones would have to do with the original 2002 escapes me.
I had a friend who bought a very used mid-80s 7 series, she used to haul hay for her horses in the back seat. First time I saw her do that I died a little inside.
I long ago worked with a guy with who had a 2002. What a great car in its simplicity, perhaps more defined with simple lines etc. This mess is not simple, in fact busy would be a better word.
I am all for going retro. I think a retro 2002’ish BMW would do well, but keep it simple please.
A BMW in the process of being absorbed into a Lexus.
This thing does to air what a Veg-O-Matic does to potatoes.
“Do you have Bug and Tar remover in gallon jugs?”
The reverence for the mean old purpose built masterpieces is well placed but the execution pretty much whiffs.
Wide, Low, Cramped and well-ventilated….I’d buy one.
I think this BMW looks fantastic. I really like the front end. Those rims are really great looking.
It would be nice if BMW actually made this vehicle as it stands. The only problem would be cleaning between the “intakes” on the frontend, let alone waxing in that areas.
Nice!
I don’t like the message this perpetuates. There were no homage cars from BMW from the 70s-90s.
I’d say that this is BMW reaching the point that VW reached in the late 90’s with the Beetle based on the Golf IV platform. See, they know they made at least one iconic car, however I think there is likely very limited overlap between the folks that have 2002s and the folks that are buying M235s. By that I mean, the M235 customer might not even know of the 2002tii or turbo and looks upon the newfound information of said car’s existence as proof of how early on BMW was awesomely fist pumping it through the night sans shirt down at the Jersey shore with Jaegerbombs and the Gina of the moment. If you handed said M235 buyer the keys to a lovely 2002 specimen, I bet they would lament it for being underpowered and poorly refined because that by my estimation is what your M235 buyer wants not an hommage to a car that they might only like from a considerable distance as part of a branding exercise not for its own attributes.
Back to VW, In the early ’00’s I had a friend named Bonnie, she drove a 70’s Bug convertible which used the same fasten your seatbelt light as my 944 did at that time. It would just so happen that at the same point in time I had another friend Aaron with an early Golf IV based type 1C bug. The air cooled cabrio was exactly nothing like the Golf wearing a Bug suit. I expect the same of this dichotomous pair of BMWs.
I wonder what the late great editor of Roundel, and 2002tii pilot, Yale Rachlin would have to write about this car.
As a closet-BMW fanboy – no thanks!