BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R concept breaks cover

BMW has revealed a racing variant of its 3.0 CSL Hommage concept car. To make its debut at the Pebble Beach Concours D'elegance, is almost identical to the concept unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in May, and gets BMW’s racing colour scheme.

New improvements include a race suit that can display information to the driver. The driver’s helmet too displays speed and engine information, while a special piping in the sleeves illuminates when both the driver’s hands are on the wheel. The minimalist steering wheel display provides the driver with information on the current track and race position. Other racing additions to the interior include a fire extinguisher system and an emergency shut-off.

While BMW insists the concept is a one-off creation with no production future, sister publication, Autocar UK understands that the concept does still hold some significance for BMW’s future production models. Senior sources have revealed that the concept is a statement of intent for the BMW M division to build more extreme, lightweight models, which would be pitched as the company's answer to its great rival, the Mercedes-AMG’s Black Series versions. The first model built to this strategy will be the M4 GTS.

The 3.0 CSL Hommage is the third Hommage car from BMW in recent years, following on from the M1 Hommage from 2008 and the 328 Hommage, which celebrated the 75th anniversary of the 328 racer in 2011. Like the 3.0 CSL Hommage, both the previous Hommage concepts were revealed at Villa d’Este.

The latest concept car is marginally bigger than an M6. It is 4,997mm long, 2,018mm wide and 1,302mm high, with a wheelbase of 3,190mm. For comparison, the M6 is 4,898mm long, 1,899mm wide and 1,374mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,851mm.

BMW hasn’t confirmed the technical details of the car, other than the fact that it is rear-wheel drive and below the long bonnet is a 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine in combination with an ‘e-boost’ electric motor to aid acceleration.

The 3.0 CSL concept car is constructed from an extensive use of lightweight materials, including carbon-fibre reinforced plastic. The original 3.0 CSL was around 200kg lighter than the 3.0 CS on which it was based thanks to an extensive use of aluminium in its construction.

The body of the new concept car features vast flared wheel arches with extensive aerodynamic sculpting to channel the air towards the rear of the car. The wheel arches house 21-inch alloys shod in 265/35 tyres in front and 325/30s at the rear. Other notable exterior design features include the extensive air intakes, the large fixed rear wing, a roof spoiler, a front splitter and huge side exhausts.
The interior of the original concept was pared down and made almost exclusively of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, save for some wood on the instrument panel, which was also a structural part. This wood was a reference to the interior of the original 3.0 CSL. Key driver information, such as the speed, revs and gear selection, could be shown on a display on the steering column.

BMW design chief Karim Habib said, “For BMW designers like us, the BMW 3.0 CSL is a style icon. Its combination of racing genes and elegance generates an engaging aesthetic that continues to win hearts even today. The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage celebrates many of those characteristic features but without copying them. Indeed, some of the parallels are not immediately obvious. We wanted people to sense the family resemblance rather than see it straight off.”