At the recent Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este held from 22 to 25 May, BMW presented the new BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage, the BMW Design Team's 'homage' to the 3.0 CSL, a timeless classic and iconic BMW Coupé from the 1970s.
"CSL" stands for "Coupé Sport Leichtbau" (coupé, sport, lightweight). With its aluminium bonnet, boot and wings, Plexiglas windows and equipment rigorously pared down to the bare essentials, the old BMW 3.0 CSL tipped the scales around 200 kg lighter than its sibling model, the BMW 3.0 CS.
Whereas the material of choice in the 1970s was aluminium, today carbon fibre – or carbon-fibre- reinforced plastic (CFRP) – offers the optimum weight-to-strength ratio. These high-strength fibres are even lighter and stronger than aluminium.
Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design, adds "The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage represents a nod to the engineering achievement exemplified by the BMW 3.0 CSL in its lightweight design and performance. With intelligent lightweight construction and modern materials, the 3.0 CSL Hommage brings the character of that earlier model into the 21st century, showing it in a new and exciting guise."
The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage makes generous use of the high-tech composite, reinterpreting the concept of lightweight design for the modern age. Wherever CFRP is used, it is also visible – rendering the lightweight design principle tangible both inside and out.
Boasting one of the broadest and lowest front ends of any vehicle in the BMW Group, the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage’s front exudes pure power and athleticism. At the centre, the characteristic BMW kidney grille stands tall in citation of the more upright styling of the kidney grille of yesteryear. The size and spatial depth of the kidney grille symbolise the output of the powerful six-cylinder in-line engine with eBoost.
Laser light and LED technology facilitate slender, state-of- the-art lighting graphics, and the flat contours of the headlamps generate that characteristically focused BMW look. A stylised "X" inside the lights divides the lighting functions and conjures up memories of the X-shaped headlamp stickers once used in long-distance racing.
Horizontal LED strips create a visual bond between headlamps and kidney grille while at the same time emphasising the broad, flat impact of the front end.
The side profile is in elegant counterpoint to the marked athleticism of front and rear. The long wheelbase and elongated bonnet appear to stretch the Hommage's silhouette.
A continuous, horizontal line encircles the vehicle by way of paying tribute to a distinctive stylistic feature of the earlier BMW 3.0 CSL: its all-round chrome trim. In combination with the black highlight beneath, the continuous line intensifies the flat, elongated appearance of the sides.
As with the front end, the vehicle's tail is broad and muscular in design. Generous surfaces generate presence, horizontal elements emphasise width.
A particular highlight is the styling of the rear lights: an LED strip above the spoiler links the two lights, thus giving the rear end a formal framework.
