If there were any lingering hopes that the
BMW CSL Hommage
may preview a road car of any description then BMW's press release puts paid to them. It talks of "contrapuntal elegance", "muscular athleticism" and "racing flair with a touch of class" yet nothing on the future of the car. To be expected perhaps given the previous Hommage cars but it would have been great for an exception to be made. Just this once.
Just in case lightweight intentions were in doubt
Now shown in full, the 3.0 CSL Hommage certainly lives up to the promise of that initial teaser. Beyond that ornate description there's simply a very stylish sports coupe that is unmistakably BMW. Familiar cues - the quad headlamps, kidney grille and Hofmeister kink - combine with some concept car fantasy such as the lights through the spoiler and side-exit exhausts to create a fairly spectacular end product.
Working from the front, BMW says the Hommage "exudes pure power", that the sides are "in elegant counterpoint to the marked athleticism of front and rear" and that there's a "muscular presence" to the back. It's a very serious design, in case you were in any doubt.
The Hommage adheres to the CSL ethos inside with a fiercely pared back interior or, as BMW would term it, one that "renders its racing character elegantly tangible". There's a contender for World's Ugliest Steering Wheel, fire extinguisher, cut-outs for helmets and six-point harnesses for the bucket seats. The wooden 'dash' is a reference to the old CSL.
All well and good, you may be thinking, but what's the point if there isn't a jot of relevance to BMW road cars? Well Adrian van Hooydonk says the Hommage cars "demonstrate how proud we are of our heritage, but also how important the past can be in determining our future." So there won't be a production CSL, but that statement implies it could influence some upcoming models. Fingers crossed!
