Every so often a concept car will come along that initially may make you gasp. The BMW 328 Hommage is one of those. It’s strange, ‘dead-eye’ look is both off-putting and extremely simple and beautiful. The skintight metal wraps the car in an impossibly low stance, and the absence of rearview mirrors add to the simplicity and intrigue.
Dubbed the BMW 328 Hommage, this ultra-lightweight sports car was built to mirror the principles used to create the original 328. The 328 Hommage weighs in at a svelte 1,720 pounds, accomplished through the use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. While CFRP wasn’t exactly around in the 30’s and 40’s, BMW engineers of that era kept the 328 light through the use of aluminum and magnesium. Both cars are cut from a similar cloth to achieve a lightweight end result, even if the methods to get there are very different.
Via the official BMW press release:
BMW 328 Hommage.The BMW 328 is considered the most successful and best-looking sports car of the 1930s. The BMW 328’s success was the result of its design parameters – through the use of systematic lightweight construction, aerodynamic lines, optimum engine types and outstanding suspension technology, it laid the foundation stone for a new vehicle concept, by which performance only leads to success if combined with perfect harmonisation of all parameters and maximum efficiency.
With these characteristics, the BMW 328 was even then the embodiment of what the BMW brand still stands for today – dynamics, aesthetics and a high level of innovation.
Don’t look for this car on the road, ever. It will probably never arrive in dealerships, but makes for a stunning design exercise, anyway.