BMW’s latest design statement—the ultra-exclusive Skytop—just traded its concept car posh for high-speed aggression. Spotted on the Nürburgring, the BMW Skytop slices through the corners of the Green Hell with poise, grace, and the attitude of a proper M-powered machine.
Though wrapped in camouflage, the BMW Skytop’s bold design still stands out. The shark-nose front end reminds us of the iconic 507 and Z8 roadsters, while the thin headlights bring a modern flair to the design. Around back, the tapered rear deck recalls the flowing lines of the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail.
The illuminated kidney grille is surrounded by the the brand’s narrowest production headlights ever, while slim LED taillights wrap around the sculpted rear. Everything looks production-ready—because it is. Even in prototype form, the Skytop looks more yacht than sports car—until it drops a gear and tackles a corner.
A Grand Tourer with Dual Personalities
BMW based the Skytop on the G14 8 Series Convertible, but this highly exclusive bimmer changed the rules a bit. While the 8 Series always blurred the line between luxury cruiser and performance coupe, the Skytop widens that gap even further. It embraces its grand touring roots, delivering long-distance comfort and an exquisite interior and exterior design, with the option to flip into a sporty machine.
Under the hood, the Skytop boasts BMW’s most potent V8 yet—a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged engine producing 617 horsepower. Technically, that matches the M8 Competition and slightly trails the M5 CS by 10 hp, but performance remains blistering. Power is delivered through an eight-speed automatic, launching the car from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just over 3.3 seconds.
A Classy Interior, Some Would Call It Boring Though
Photo: @bimmermood
Inside, BMW didn’t chase trends. The cabin stays true to the 8 Series design while ditching rear seats in favor of a two-seat, driver-focused layout trimmed in rich reddish-brown leather. Unlike newer BMWs, the Skytop sticks with iDrive 7 and physical buttons, offering a refreshingly analog interface in a digital age.
Built by Hand, Not by Line
BMW isn’t building the Skytop on a typical production line. Like the limited-run 3.0 CSL, the Skytop receives the full coachbuilt treatment, assembled by hand through a specialized process that allows for extreme customization and craftsmanship. The entire development took just 15 months—an impressive turnaround for something this exclusive.
50 Units. All Spoken For.
BMW will build only 50 units of the Skytop. Every one of them is already spoken for. At a price of €500,000 (about $540,000 USD), the Skytop enters rarefied air—not just as one of the most expensive BMWs ever built, but as one of the most desirable. So of course, it’s sold out. [Spy Photos: Baldauf]
