Ultra-exclusive BMW Skytop spotted on the road for the first and possibly last time

It’s been almost a year since the staggering BMW Skytop Concept was revealed, and prompted such an excited response that the brand decided to build 50 for its most devoted fans. 

With so few being made, these spy shots of a prototype might be the only time you ever see one gracing the road with its presence.

Before you ask, all 50 Skytops have already been sold to some very lucky – and extremely wealthy – individuals, with each one costing approximately £500,000. But if you missed out this time, Auto Express has learned that BMW is plotting more ultra-exclusive limited series creations, and will be revealing something special at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy later this month. 

The elegant Skytop targa convertible was designed to celebrate a history of iconic roadsters from BMW, with the 507 and Z8 singled out in particular by the German brand as inspiration. And from what we can tell, the road-going model looks identical to the original concept, right down to the turbine-inspired wheels.

The design builds from a nose that’s significantly more restrained and delicate than those on many contemporary BMWs. Unlike the divisive 5 Series or 7 Series, the Skytop has a relatively small pair of illuminated kidney grilles that are tapered and jut out from the bumper at a reverse angle, mimicking the iconic shark-nose of historical BMWs such as the original CS Coupé. The thin, elegant headlights feature simple clean internals, and sit above a smooth and restrained lower bumper. 

The body itself is more blocky than most existing BMW models, and its volumes reference the aforementioned Z8 with its clean, sleek forms. There’s divergence from BMW’s past design when it comes to the roof structure, which features two removable panels finished in a burnt sienna-coloured material. This is matched with the integrated aerobridge, finished in the same colour leather as the roof, the roll hoop and the rest of the interior. A central raised spline also extends from the bonnet to an aluminium bar on the rear deck.The upright rear does without much ornamentation, with simple horizontal lights, clean bumpers and no light bars. The detailing is much more restrained than even BMW’s most recent road cars, let alone the future range of Neue Klasse models we know are on their way. 

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Our spy photographers didn’t get a good look inside, but the interior appears to feature the same basic layout as that of the BMW 8 Series. Apart from the centre console, it looks like every surface is covered with presumably very expensive leather, and we can see amber crystal detailing in the steering wheel.

The Skytop borrows the platform and engine from the 8 Series as well, before being clothed in a bespoke body with a targa-like semi-open cockpit. This means it runs a purely combustion powertrain – there’s no plug-in hybrid business as with the new M5 – and it even includes a few throwbacks to previous BMW models thanks to the use of a joystick gear selector, rather than the toggle switch fitted to most of its new models. 

The engine is a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8, as in many of BMW’s high-end models, and it’s sure to be in the same hot 616bhp tune as the BMW M8 Competition. With the engine connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission and BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system, a 0-62mph time of 3.3 seconds is expected - exactly the same as the M8 Competition Convertible.

What do you think of the new BMW Skytop? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section...