The BMW 2002 Hommage vehicle recently created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ever BMW 2002 car, which debuted in 1966, is an exceptional study in design and a beautiful tribute to the hard working little car of the 60’s.
BMW created the BMW 2002 Hommage in order to celebrate the 50 year milestone of the “02 Series” and will be paying tribute to the affordable, less expensive, but nimble car at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on May 20th-22nd. The Hommage vehicle first and foremost was created to remind us of the technical feats achieved by BMW according to their press release and is served to us in modern day package that makes us salivate at the curves and shapes.
And boy does this vehicle implement dynamic shapes and aggressively reductive angles that hint at incredibly agile performance. Above you can see the iconic “Kidney” grille positioned in a more pointed fashion and paired with aggressive front bumper cutouts and splitters. Continuing the seamless look are what seem to be lower than normally positioned fenders following a flowing line that originates from just above the grille.
This line we find cutting the top section of the Hommage 2002 against its lower proportions is very important according to the BMW group. It is suppose to reflect a minimalist design cue from the 1960’s 02 Series, which was executed in chrome fashion; here the line is in form of Carbon Fiber in order to reflect technological advances I would presume. Also, not immediately apparent is the fact that this line also separates the matte and glossy Space Race Metal color sections of the vehicle. The hood, roof, upper sections of the doors, and the trunk sport a matte finish of the color, while the front & rear bumper, sideskirts, lower sections of the doors, and rear quarter panels don the glossy alternative.
Around the back we find additional 02 Series easter eggs (visually speaking) and modern enhancements as well. In the 1960’s versions of the 02, the BMW badge was located to the right on the rear of the vehicle and now with the Hommage we see that implemented as well. This is a deviation from the current BMW badge placement as most of their white and blue badges are placed in a central fashion. Adding more visual flair to the rear of the vehicle are the completely blackened tail-lights, aggressive rear spoiler, and rear arches. According to BMW the only time one sees any sort of inner workings is when the lights actually turn on. When not illuminated the solid black area creates a visually striking shape that fits well with the raised spoiler and seems to go into hiding underneath the widened rear arches that make room for an aggressive stance.
Projects like the 2002 Hommage are great design studies that benefit the automotive group performing them and the hardcore fans. By delving into the past from a design perspective, you take part of the soul from something classic and toss it into a new idea and this is what BMW has done here. It’s studies like these that allow for innovation to happen yet allow a company to retain its style and at the same time manage to insight hype among its followers. The BMW 2002 Hommage will remain a design study for now, but as has happened in the past don’t be surprised if they roll out some of the visual cues found here to their future vehicle line up.
(Image Source: BMW Press)