A year or so ago, BMW presented us with the 328 Hommage, which was a modern day take on the racing classic that fought hard in races like the Mille Miglia. This time around, we have another homage to another great, the 3.0 CSL- arguably the predecessor to the 6 Series in all it’s GT glory.
It’s an interesting design study. They’ve added a prominent kidney grill that’s more akin to the original than the modern day representation of the unique BMW design cue. It’s almost comical in size, but it’s contrasted with some ultra-modern slit like headlamps, low profile in nature.
Proportions though are closer to the modern day variant than the original. Then again, many of the details in the Hommage models are heavily exaggerated, caricatured even. The front bumper is extremely aggressive and swept underneath the nose, a nod to the shark-nose type design of the classics.
The rear end is one of the more complex pieces of metalwork and design, as this Hommage picks specifically on the CSL variant packaged with a rear wing. In the case of the Hommage, this rear wing is seamlessly integrated with the rear bodywork, flowing into the rear arches and down over the rear wheels- much like an american Plymouth Superbird.
On the inside there’s not much to see- it’s all very future perfect with somber tones, neon accents, and an odd wood panel dash that doesn’t seem period correct nor modern. The steering wheel is more similar to one found in BMW’s DTM cars than anything else, but there is always room for a little artistic liberty.
At the end of the day, the Hommage is simply a cool design study. It’s not a concept car- don’t expect these styling cues to go into production- but they are plenty pretty. And perhaps one day, BMW will have an offshoot bespoke division, much like Zagato, which will be able to make these cars roadworthy in their unique, one-off nature.
