BMW has been building Hommage cars for years. Last year they presented the 3.0 CSL Hommage concept, this time, its paying tribute to the legendary 2002 Turbo with an M2-base concept called the 2002 Hommage. It made its debut at the Villa d’Este in Lake Como, Italy, this weekend. And we think it is unbelievably gorgeous!
BMW built this concept in tribute to the 50th anniversary of the BMW 2002, the car that established the brand as a major player and set the template for the 3-Series to come.
Like past Hommage cars, the 2002 is more about design than mechanicals. BMW doesn’t even mention what theoretically powers this car, and honestly we don’t care. It looks like an angry little car!
There are clues, that it’s based on the new M2, which you can kind of tell, if you squint your eyes. Considering that the M2 is being almost universally lauded as a great little sports coupe, that’s great news.
Like the original 2002 Turbo, it features a mirrored “turbo” script on the front bumper, just to let the people you’re about to pass know what you’re driving. So we think there’s a powerful turbocharged engine under the hood, whatever the specifics are. That’s enough about mechanicals though, since the styling is the star here.
As the 2002 Hommage is a modern BMW, there’s some pretty modern surface detailing, but there’s also some clever nods to the legendary 2002 Turbo. The body is much more squared at the front than the regular 2-Series and there’s a carbon fiber accent running the length of the body that’s designed to mimic the 2002’s chrome strip. The front and rear spoilers have some hints of BMW’s E21-chassis 3-Series race cars too. Even the lighting elements are retro-tinged. The headlight lenses have a gold hue since this is the golden anniversary of the 1966 model. There are also separate turn-signal units embedded above the headlights, here stuck into a piece of carbon trim. We think it’s an excellent modern interpretation of BMW’s classic styling cues.
The 2002 is easily one of the most important cars in BMW’s history, and the 2002 Hommage is a fitting tribute. Hopefully some of its design language will make its way into BMW’s future products. Like BMW’s other Hommage concepts, you shouldn’t expect the 2002 Hommage to make it to production. But if you want to bite off a little slice of it, place an order for an M2, it’s as close as you can get to the 2002 Hommage concept.
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