| New concept car | 2008 Villa D'Este | BMW M1 Homage |
The name may be corny, but there's nothing wrong with BMW's concept M1 Homage. It has been created especially for the ritzy Villa D'Este classic car concours event in Italy.
Gently updating the original M1's lines with sharper modern looks, the Homage is BMW's tribute to Paul Bracq, who was responsible for the 1970's M1. Details such as the louvred rear window and 'BMW' badges on the rear of the buttressed rear pillars are all direct cues from the first M1.
However, up front, BMW's modern day stylists have shunned the original's pop-up headlights in favour of a more aggressive snout. The shark nose and BMW kidney grille are both still present, but the headlights are now sleek trapezoidal units nestled under the lip of the bonnet.
The Homage is strictly a show pony at the moment and the blacked-out windows gave no hint of what the interior would look like. BMW also made no mention of engines nor performance.
Alisdair Suttie - 28 Apr 2008
