BMW embeds colored crystals in steering wheel, gearshift and seats of concept car 'skytop'

Colored crystals and leather for BMW Concept Skytop car

During the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2024 between May 24th and 26th, 2024, BMW brought over its Concept Skytop car, a muscular vehicle with pronounced lines on the exterior and embedded colored crystals into its steering wheel, gearshift, and seats. The car brand also showcased its 20th BMW Art Car in the event where its artist Julie Mehretu led its reintroduction after its debut in the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The open-top, two-seater concept car drives around with its leather seats, which complement the interior’s reddish brown color blocking.

Inside, the hand-crafted details in the custom-made leatherwork of the seats, the door panels, the boot, the leather-covered roof shells, the roll bar, and even around the speaker paneling pay homage to the pattern of the Budapest leather shoes, a type of derby footwear with a closed lacing system. When natural light shines on the steering wheel, gearshift, and seats, they glimmer in kaleidoscopic hues because of the custom-cut, colored crystals that emerge in the leather interior design of the concept vehicle.

images courtesy of BMW

The exterior has the BMW shark-nose with glowing kidney grille

Outside, the BMW Concept Skytop car resembles a runner with a fierce face. The exterior has sharp-pointed LED headlamps, which are placed on milled aluminum carriers, and the BMW shark-nose design with illuminated kidney grille, which harks back to the previous BMW roadsters such as the BMW 507 and the BMW Z8. These LED headlamps, reminiscent of clockwork, were specifically developed for the concept car. The vehicle also has a raised ridge that starts at the hood, continues through the inside of the car, and ends at an aluminum strip on the rear door.

Viewing it from above, the arrow-shaped bonnet comes into view alongside the tapered tail jutting out. The side profile shows a pronounced sidecut, defining the muscular body of the BMW Concept Skytop car. It is here that another distinctive feature springs: the removal of the traditional door handles. Instead of opting for the typical knobs, BMW places what they call ‘winglets.’ These are placed just above the doors, the ‘shoulders’ of the car, and when the users want to enter the vehicle, they just touch these winglets with sensors until the doors pop open.

rear view of the BMW Concept Skytop car

Removable roof parts for the BMW Concept Skytop car

The vehicle’s open-top setting can be optional too, given that the BMW Concept Skytop has two removable roof parts, also finished in leather. When the users want to soak in the sun without a roof over their heads, they can store these roof parts in a compartment in the luggage space, retracting and removing them for a modular overhead design. Look behind the seats of the concept car, there are side fins on the B-pillar, or the upright part of the car frame between the front and back doors, aka the ‘winglets’ and a fully retractable rear window.

In the rear section of the BMW Concept Skytop car, the reddish-brown tone of the roof flows into the muted silver with the chrome shadow effect of the exterior paintwork. This elaborate color gradient was crafted by an experienced master painter at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing. It is also home to the interior surfaces of the vehicle, which were made in the traditional saddlery section of the plant. The BMW Concept Skytop also comes with the V8 engine in the BMW drivetrain portfolio, and as of publishing the story, the car is still a concept and show vehicle.

BMW brought its Concept Skytop car with a leather interior to the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2024