BMW Concept Touring Coupe (2023)
The BMW Concept Touring Coupé, unveiled in 2023, is a one-off, hand-built shooting brake that reimagines the modern BMW roadster as a closed two-seat grand tourer. Conceived as a distilled statement of “Sheer Driving Pleasure,” it blends a classic long-hood/short-deck proportion with coachbuilt craftsmanship, pairing a straight-six powertrain with a compact two-box body and generous luggage space behind the seats. Its brief was deliberately cultural rather than numerical: evoke freedom, long-distance elegance, and the historic lineage of BMW touring cars without chasing headline figures or track times.
History
BMW presented the Concept Touring Coupé at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Cernobbio, Italy, during the 2023 edition (event dates: May 19–21, 2023; world premiere on May 19, 2023). The car stood on the BMW stand as a single, fully finished prototype intended for one-off production. The Villa d’Este context is significant: BMW uses the Lake Como concours to debut design manifestos that are more about heritage and craft than industrial feasibility, positioning this concept among restored icons and bespoke specials where coachbuilding is celebrated as an art.
From a program standpoint, the Concept Touring Coupé translates the open-air Z4 roadster architecture into a fixed-roof shooting brake. It was developed and executed by BMW Design under Domagoj Dukec, who framed it as a timeless object rather than a teaser for a specific series model. The presentation text emphasized symbolism: the name “Touring” points at BMW’s historic fast-travel cars and the joy of traveling light, while the body silhouette nods to classic two-door load-carriers designed for weekend escapes.
The world-premiere press material makes clear that this was not a static buck. The car is fully drivable, presented with complete exterior and interior fit, and finished in a specially developed colorway to underline the coachbuilt intent.
Design Features
Exterior and Aerodynamics
The Touring Coupé’s form is defined by a clean two-box silhouette: a long bonnet, a compact passenger cell, and a gracefully extended roofline that resolves into a short, muscular rear. The shooting-brake proportion is classical—emphasizing usable luggage space without diluting the car’s athletic stance. Signature BMW cues are reinterpreted: a low, horizontal kidney grille with longitudinal bars; a stretched side daylight opening with a pronounced Hofmeister kink; and strong rear shoulders that visually communicate traction and thrust.
Paint and jewelry were treated as integral design components. The car debuts “Sparkling Lario” exterior paint, a grey-brown tone with embedded blue-glass flakes to generate depth and a subtle chroma shift under natural light. Silver-bronze accents on the grille and body trim, and bespoke radial-spoke alloy wheels (20-inch front, 21-inch rear), continue the restrained, handcrafted theme. Aero is largely implicit in the sculpture—clean underbody management and controlled surface breaks—rather than expressed via wings or splitters.
Structure and Package
Under the skin, the Touring Coupé leverages the compact, front-mid-engine architecture of BMW’s current two-seat roadster, repackaged as a closed two-seater with an extended luggage shelf. The rear compartment is trimmed as an elegant loadspace rather than a vestigial 2+2, reinforcing the car’s grand-touring mission: two people, weekend bags, cross-country pace. The overall footprint stays intimate to preserve agility and the sense of “wearable” size that defines the contemporary BMW roadster.
Powertrain and Chassis
BMW states that the concept is powered by the brand’s hallmark inline-six—a straight-six petrol engine chosen for its refinement, elasticity, and cultural resonance in BMW lore. While the company did not publish detailed output, the intent was clear: deliver effortless longitudinal performance paired with relaxed cruising. The transmission is automatic with steering-wheel controls; the chassis calibration follows contemporary BMW sports-car logic: quick steering, broad-shouldered traction, and neutral balance under load.
Interior and HMI
The cabin is a masterclass in tactile minimalism and craft. A bi-color leather interior by Poltrona Frau (dark brown upper, light saddle lower) divides the space horizontally to support both focus and comfort. Details—precise perforations, braided leather straps on seat valences and guides—signal handwork rather than series production. The instrument panel and center stack carry BMW’s current driver-centric ergonomics, but the materials and color balance elevate the experience beyond standard series trim.
The luggage set is a narrative object in itself: a custom Schedoni ensemble (two large and one small weekender, plus a garment bag) tailored to the rear compartment’s geometry and trimmed to match the interior palette. The luggage’s presence is not a gimmick—it encapsulates the car’s “travel light, travel far” philosophy more convincingly than any spec sheet.
Specifications
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Layout | Front-mid engine, rear-wheel drive shooting brake (two-seat) |
| Engine | BMW inline-six petrol (output not officially disclosed) |
| Transmission | Automatic with steering-wheel controls |
| Wheels | 20-inch front / 21-inch rear, bespoke radial-spoke design |
| Exterior color | Sparkling Lario (grey-brown with blue-glass flakes) |
| Accents | Silver-bronze exterior jewelry; longitudinal-bar kidney grille |
| Interior | Poltrona Frau bi-color leather (dark brown / saddle) |
| Luggage | Schedoni custom set (2× large + 1× small weekender + garment bag) |
| Seating | 2 seats; extended luggage shelf behind seats |
| Body style | Hand-built shooting brake; single, one-off unit |
BMW deliberately refrained from quoting weight, acceleration, or top-speed figures, positioning the Touring Coupé as a cultural object rather than a numbers race entry.
Production Status
Concept → Production (what carried over; what didn’t).
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Carried over (spirit and cues): The car reinforces BMW’s revived interest in coachbuilt one-offs and concours-debut concepts—where craft, color/material innovation, and historical references take precedence. Expect to see design motifs—paint/jewelry palettes, fine leather treatments, luggage collaborations—reappear in limited editions and BMW Individual programs.
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Hypothetical series translation: The idea of a compact shooting-brake derived from a roadster platform resonates strongly with BMW history (Z3 Coupé, “clown-shoe” Z3 M) and with contemporary customer nostalgia. However, no series production of the Concept Touring Coupé was announced; the car remains a one-off intended to showcase design freedom rather than preview a Z4-based coupe.
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What didn’t translate directly: Any explicit powertrain upgrade or unique chassis technology beyond what the donor architecture already supports; hard performance metrics; and a production plan. The Touring Coupé is framed as an objet d’art for Villa d’Este’s lawn, not a homologation exercise.
Design genealogy and authorship.
BMW positions the Touring Coupé within a clear lineage. Upstream, it pays homage to the BMW 328 Touring Coupé that won the Mille Miglia in 1940, and to the BMW 02 “Touring” fastback variants of the early 1970s (from which the “Touring” nomenclature is drawn). Sideways in time, it echoes the Z3 Coupé’s cult shooting-brake silhouette. Downstream, it reinforces the brand’s modern coachbuilt current—special, low-volume concepts introduced at Villa d’Este that celebrate artisan craft. Creative direction is attributed to BMW Design under Domagoj Dukec, with the concept framed explicitly as a timeless symbol rather than a technology preview.
Micro-dates and stand context.
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World premiere: May 19, 2023, Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, BMW stand (opening day of the 2023 concours).
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Event window: May 19–21, 2023, Grand Hotel Villa d’Este and Villa Erba lawns, Cernobbio, Lake Como.
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Press kit: Global press release and downloadable PDF published on May 19, 2023.
Sources
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BMW PressClub Global — “The BMW Concept Touring Coupé: A timeless symbol of freedom on four wheels.” Press release and PDF, May 19, 2023. https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0417119EN/the-bmw-concept-touring-coup%C3%A9%3A-a-timeless-symbol-of-freedom-on-four-wheels
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BMW PressClub Global — “Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023 (19–21 May).” https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0411139EN/concorso-d%E2%80%99eleganza-villa-d%E2%80%99este-2023
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Car and Driver — “BMW’s Z4 Concept Touring Coupé Turns the Roadster into a Shooting Brake,” May 19, 2023. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a43941429/bmw-z4-concept-touring-coupe-revealed/
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designboom — “BMW Concept Touring Coupé: design journey from Munich to Villa d’Este,” June 4, 2023. https://www.designboom.com/technology/bmw-concept-touring-coupe-concorso-deleganza-villa-deste-interview-06-04-2023/
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NetCarShow — “BMW Concept Touring Coupé (2023).” https://www.netcarshow.com/bmw/2023-touring_coupe_concept/
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WardsAuto — “BMW Unveils One-of-a-Kind Concept Touring Coupé,” May 19, 2023. https://www.wardsauto.com/bmw/bmw-unveils-one-of-a-kind-concept-touring-coup-
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