BMW's 2002 Hommage concept is...somethin'
We're not entirely sold on this homage to one of the best Bimmers ever built.
BMW loves whipping up a throwback concept. By taking a bunch of elements from some of its greatest hits and applying modern design techniques, the automaker turns out some of the coolest concepts in the industry, like its homage to the 3.0 CSL. But occasionally, they make...whatever you want to call this.
The BMW 2002 Hommage is, pretty obviously, paying deference to the ol' BMW 2002 Turbo, one of BMW's best-ever cars, and the subject of what remains the single greatest car review ever written. In honor of its half-centennial, BMW created this concept, which appears to be a modern-day M235i that's been stung by several large bees.
Sure, there are plenty of throwback elements in here that I can dig on. The reshaped headlights, the placement of the BMW roundel to the right, the carbon stripe around the car and the actual 2002 Turbo in some of the pictures are all great and lovely things. The wheels are nice, too, as is the aggressive front lip.
But then you look at the hood from the top down, and there are some seriously weird humps and ridges. From most angles, the front fenders look much wider than the rears. The rear end, with its ducktail spoiler and large bumper, has both an underbite and an overbite at the same time. And the entire top half of the car is largely unmolested, looking like a 2 Series that's been heavily Photoshopped.
It's definitely interesting, and it continues to draw my attention as I find more and more neat little bits scattered about the exterior. But on the whole, it just appears largely thrown together, as if they picked which elements to bring over by throwing darts at a board. I'll stick with the 3.0 CSL, thanks.
