BMW Gran Lusso Coupé unveiled

This sleek new BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé concept could provide the stylistic inspiration for the return of the BMW 8-series.

Unveiled at the Ville d’Este concours in Italy last weekend, the Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé is a contemporary four-seater created by collaboration between BMW’s in-house design team and famed Italian design house Pininfarina.

It is based on a modified version of the rear-wheel-drive platform that underpins the BMW 7-series and is powered by the 537bhp turbo 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine used in the BMW 760i.

The two-door coupé is the first product of co-operation between BMW and Pininfarina. In recent years, BMW has co-operated with Zagato for the creation of various concepts, including last year’s BMW Z4-basedZagato Coupé.

However, unlike the Zagato Coupé, the Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé has a wholly unique body that points the way ahead for BMW design.

The Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé retains many familiar BMW design elements, including a distinctive swept-back silhouette that features a long bonnet, heavily raked screens, a shallow glasshouse, a cabin positioned well back within a comparatively long wheelbase and a short bootlid.

It is described as a one-off, but BMW says the styling would allow it to be taken into production with little change. The exterior combines an aggressive shark-nose look with surfacing treatment already established on existing BMW production models and newly wrought detailing inspired by Pininfarina.

The sleekness inherent in the exterior continues inside, where it is mated with traditional BMW features, such as a centre console angled towards the driver. Individual seats provide accommodation for four adults.

High-quality materials inside include black and tobacco brown leather upholstery from Italian company Foglizzo, trims sourced from a single piece of rare kauri wood native to New Zealand and black chrome within the dashboard.

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