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BMW has dropped a set of shadowy images teasing a rakish shooting-brake show car destined for the Villa d’Este Concours on 23 May. The newcomer appears to graft last year’s Skytop convertible onto the legendary ‘Clownshoe’ Z3 M Coupé, creating a long-bonnet, short-deck profile capped by a steeply raked glasshouse and ducktail spoiler that evokes the brand’s most collectable nineties road-rocket.
Closer inspection reveals the Skytop’s slim LED tail-lamps and sculpted haunches, but the decklid that once stored a folding roof is gone, replaced by an abrupt tailgate that hints at genuine load-lugging utility. The look also echoes 2023’s Z4-based Touring Coupé concept, strengthening whispers that Munich’s design studio is quietly reviving the shooting-brake theme for a niche run of driver-focused grand tourers.
Mechanical details remain under wraps, yet insiders suggest the newcomer rides on BMW’s CLAR architecture and shares the Skytop’s 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, sending power to all four wheels. Skytop is already slated for a 50-unit production batch, and BMW M boss Frank van Meel has previously admitted that Villa d’Este concepts act as “test balloons” for limited-series projects if customer demand proves strong.
With prototype Skytops now pounding European roads and collectors clamouring for allocations, the shooting-brake’s prospects look promising. Should order books swell, BMW may well authorise another short run, giving modern enthusiasts a fresh take on the cult Z3 M formula—complete with room for a weekender’s luggage beneath that swept-back roof. For now, the marque’s latest silhouette keeps fans guessing, and Villa d’Este can’t come soon enough.
