{"id":82649,"date":"2025-05-28T14:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T18:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=82649"},"modified":"2025-05-28T14:00:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T18:00:20","slug":"bmw-speedtop-concept-production-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=82649","title":{"rendered":"BMW Concept Speedtop: The Stunning Roadster That Nearly Didn\u2019t Happen"},"content":{"rendered":"

The BMW Concept Speedtop is one pretty piece of metal<\/a>, and it\u2019s unlike anything else BMW\u2019s tried before. From its perfect proportions to unique interior details, there\u2019s no doubt this is one special BMW. Its limited production run of just 70 units makes it all that more desirable, too. BMW doesn\u2019t do this thing all the time. So, how did the BMW Speedtop make it past the cutting room floor? BMW\u2019s Head of Design, Adrian van Hooydonk, sheds some light.<\/p>\n

The Politics and Selling the Board<\/h3>\n

There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to getting a limited-production model green-lit. But Adrian has been around the block a few times, apparently. The Speedtop was a product, first, of the design department, according to him. From there, it becomes a matter of convincing the right people. He gave us some insight in some remarks to press at Villa d\u2019Este. \u201cYou need involve certain departments from the big company in order to make sure that the car drives like a BMW\u2026other departments, you have to not get involved, because then it just gets slow and complicated.\u201d But it wasn\u2019t all Adrian\u2019s doing \u2014 he had plenty of help inside and outside the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cTop management loves cars. They love design,\u201d Hooydonk says. He claims the higher-ups could tell that the Speedtop was a special occasion car. Undertaking a limited-production model, he says, benefits the whole organization. \u201c[It] helps our organization also not to become complacent, not to become overly automatic, automated, like a machine.\u201d And it all comes back to the customers \u2014 after all, that\u2019s who the car is really for. The customers \u2014 many of which didn\u2019t even ask about price before saying they wanted a Speedtop \u2014 are another important component. \u201cYou talk to the customers directly, and they\u2019re very demanding customers,\u201d Adrian starts. \u201cSo if you\u2019re able to cater to them, you will do a good job also in big production.\u201d And, ultimately, it seems these reasons were enough to push the Speedtop into a limited production run.<\/p>\n

Design Background and Skytop\/Speedtop Design<\/h3>\n

Speedtop is invariably traced back to Skytop. Skytop took 15 months from concept to production, despite drawing upon a mostly borrowed architecture from the current\/outgoing BMW M8. And, lest you compare the (admittedly similar) Concept Touring Coupe to the Speedtop and think there\u2019s any sort of commonality, don\u2019t. The Z4-based Touring Concept was fleshed out by the Turin, Italy-based company that helped complete BMW\u2019s Garmisch concept car recreation.<\/p>\n

The Speedtop (and Skytop<\/a>), however, eschew a true coach-built design. They\u2019ll be produced right in Plant Dingolfing. The Skytop product manager, Tobias M\u00fchlbauer, claims that BMW will manufacture everything from the headlights to the upholstery right in-house. A team reserved for these sorts of jobs \u2014 limited edition and exclusive models \u2014 is tasked with manufacturing these bespoke touches.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a mix of luck, timing, and raw talent that got the Speedtop into production. And if you\u2019re one of the lucky 70 people that will manage to snag one, you can thank a small, but dedicated, team at BMW.<\/p>\n