A 300 kW Bertone-designed BMW sportscar, due to be launched at the Geneva Show next month, could be built in limited numbers.
A Bertone-designed BMW, set for launch at the Geneva Motor Show next month, is tipped to become the long-awaited and limited-edition Z5.
This sketch suggests that Bertone will unveil a sleek, two-box coupé with the look of a true sportscar. The Bertone BMW will have a stunning profile with a sloping bonnet, a tapered, drop-shaped cabin, and a short, muscular rear, CAR correspondent Giancarlo Perini reports.
Scribes describe the project Z-car BMW as a sort of dream car rather than a sophisticated concept car. The dream car, suggests, is designed to capture the hearts and imagination of the public, whereas a concept car is more a container of new ideas and is more directly aimed at stimulating interest from component manufacturers and suppliers.
The Bertone BMW’s lightweight construction (employing aluminium frame technology as seen on the Z8 and Rolls Royce Phantom) would make it easy for designers and engineers to produce this sort of car, Perini said.
Moreover, the car will be fitted with a M5-derived five-litre V8 at the front delivering 300 kW to the rear wheels.
BMW and Bertone are remaining tight-lipped about whether the new machine will go into production. But its simple manufacturing techniques alone are thought to have caused them to seriously consider it, reported.
Bertone’s last BMW sportscar project was in 1961, when the company produced the 3200 CS. BMW’s classic sportscars have included the M1, Z1 and Z8.