“Everything old is new again” is possibly a phrase you’ve heard at some point in your life. But because we’re bringing it up again, you may find that you don’t know it. See? Consider the comeback of muscle cars in the early 2000s, when cars like the Dodge Challenger and the Volkswagen New Beetle from the 1990s were popular again. At the same time, BMW joined the fight and brought back the Mini name. BMW is bringing back an old idea (or making it new again?) with a Touring Coupé show car concept based on two of its most famous (and rarer) late-model coupes, the Z3 and Z4 Coupes. So it’s not surprising that the BMW Concept Touring Coupé, which was shown for the first time at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, looks a lot like it. BMW says that the idea was inspired by the 1940 328 Touring Coupe and the 1970s 02 series, but it’s hard to argue with how much the concept looks like the BMW Z3 Coupe and its replacement, the Z4 Coupe, from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Those two older Couples, rare offspring of the Z3 and Z4 roadsters, looked like “shooting brakes” or two-door wagons. They both had strangely long hoods and short greenhouses, which made them look like comic-book shoes and gave them the cute name “clown shoes.” As is typical for concept cars, BMW has not said how fast the Touring Coupé goes. The producer says that the engine in the Touring Coupé is the company’s “hallmark” inline-6 engine. Since BMW doesn’t say anything about forced induction, we’ll assume it’s the same 3.0-liter engine that puts out 382 horsepower in the current Z4. Given that BMW plans to make more EVs by 2035, we’re surprised that this design doesn’t include anything about an electric engine. BMW’s marketing still thinks there are enough doubters to support a plan that uses only fossil fuels. Even though the Touring Coupé looks good, it also has other features that make it stand out. The “Sparkling Lario” paint on the outside of the car has blue glass flakes that should make the grey-brown tones stand out when the light hits it at the right angle. The kidney grilles on this BMW have been slightly changed, which could mean that the company is done experimenting with noses that are too big. The fender openings are finished with a pair of staggered wheels with 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch back wheels. The front wheels have 20 spokes, and the back wheels have 21 spokes. BMW worked with the Italian leather company Poltroons Frau to cover the parts inside the car from head to toe in cow skin. As if that wasn’t enough cowhide, BMW asked Sheldon, a leather company in Modena, to make a set of matched luggage. Even though BMW calls this an idea, it looks very close to being ready for production. This makes us wonder if the company will consider returning the clown shoe to the U.S. market as a Z4 variation shortly. Of course, this would mean some overlap with the Toyota GR Supra coupe, which shares the Z4’s base. Let me see it, please.
