BMW Revives The Shooting Brake, But Only For The Ultra-Rich

BMW has unveiled the Concept Speedtop, a dramatic new design study at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy, marking the brand's latest showcase of automotive craftsmanship at the prestigious Lake Como event. Based on the same underpinnings as the 8 Series and last year’s Concept Skytop, the Speedtop evolves the design into a sleek shooting brake, and like its predecessor, it is slated for limited production. 

Visually, the Concept Speedtop retains much of the Skytop’s design language. It features narrow, slit-like headlights, a sculpted shark-nose front, and an illuminated kidney grille with horizontal strakes. A strong shoulder line flows from front to rear, enhancing the car’s dynamic profile and accentuating the pronounced rear haunches. The most notable change is the extended roofline, transforming the convertible silhouette of the Skytop into a hatchback-style shooting brake. 

The car's roof incorporates a spine-like raised bar—a nod to the hood design—ending in an integrated rear spoiler. BMW has also applied a colour gradient paint job, transitioning from a primary Floating Sunstone Maroon to a Floating Sundown Silver tone toward the rear. Completing the exterior are 14-spoke dual-tone alloy wheels and hidden chrome door handles that blend seamlessly into the window trim. 

Inside, the Speedtop mirrors the Skytop’s luxury-focused cabin, itself a reinterpretation of the standard 8 Series coupe interior. The car features a two-tone leather treatment, with Sundown Maroon on the dashboard and upper trim, and Moonstone White on the seats and lower panels. A thin, illuminated strip embedded in the headliner echoes the central roof spine. Several Speedtop emblems are placed across the cabin to underline its exclusivity. 

The rear section, reimagined for the shooting brake layout, replaces the rear seats with two custom luggage shelves, each equipped with leather straps to secure bags. BMW collaborated with Italian luxury brand Schedoni to develop bespoke leather luggage for the Speedtop, including two smaller fitted bags and a matching duffel for the trunk. The boot itself is trimmed in leather and surrounded by LED ambient lighting. 

BMW has not disclosed complete technical details, but it has confirmed that the Speedtop will be powered by the most powerful V8 in its lineup. This strongly indicates the inclusion of a 608 bhp twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8, as used in models like the M8 Competition. The engine is likely paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and xDrive all-wheel drive. 

BMW plans to produce only 70 units of the Concept Speedtop, a slight increase over the Skytop’s 50-unit run. While pricing remains unannounced, expectations are that the Speedtop will cost north of $500,000 (approx. ₹4.16 crore), given the exclusivity, craftsmanship, and performance on offer.