BMW Is Making 70 Of These Gorgeous M8-Based Speedtop Shooting Brakes
The Speedtop looks absolutely gorgeous, and like its sibling it won't remain just a concept — BMW already announced that it will be making 70 Speedtops, available to order now. People were sad that the Z4 shooting brake concept from Villa d'Este 2023 was never made, but I think this is much better. It won't come to the U.S., sadly, but that doesn't mean we can't drool over the details. Head of design Adrian van Hooydonk says the Speedtop is "an exclamation mark for our entire lineup of vehicles, especially for the Touring models," and BMW describes the car as being perfect for a two-person weekend getaway.
Read more: Every Car You Can Get With A Manual In 2025
Aside from chrome strakes in the grilles and intakes, the Speedtop is identical to the Skytop from the A-pillar forward, which is totally fine. With their shark nose front ends, clean surfacing, Bangle-like tail ends and thoughtful detailing, the Speedtop and Skytop are a lot more elegant and exciting than BMW's other current offerings, and certainly more beautiful than anything the company has put out since the i8.
Obviously, the biggest changes are at the roofline and the rear end. The tailgate is raked steeply forward, with a sharp spoiler at the edge of the roof. The C-pillar's Hofmeister kink is both simpler and more dramatically shaped than what we've seen on other recent Bimmers, and the car's profile overall is quite athletic. The Floating Sunstone Maroon paint of the show car fades into Floating Sundown Silver in a gradient on the roof, which is bisected by a physical spine that appears to run from the tip of the nose all the way to the tail. BMW also gave the Speedtop different wheels from the Skytop, with a more open, less turbofan-style design.
While I wish the interior of the Speedtop was more differentiated from the 8 Series on which it's based, the color scheme, details and cargo area make up for it. Everything is finished in Sundown Maroon and Moonstone White leather, and there are painted trim pieces that match the exterior color — thankfully there's no carbon fiber in sight. The two-tone split of the headliner echoes the design of the car's roof, with the spine being an ambient light bar. All of the leather is enhanced with brogue detailing, and thankfully there's a lot of BMW's faceted crystal trim, including in the headrests.
Behind the two seats are open spaces for a pair of fancy matching handbags made by Schedoni, and between the two cubbies is a waterfall-style console with additional storage space. There's a third weekend bag that goes in the leather-lined trunk, which has multiple adjustable levels that reveal a fairly deep partially enclosed space and ambient lighting that encircles it all.
BMW hasn't given any specs for the Speedtop beyond saying it has "the most powerful V8 engine" that the company currently sells. We know the car will use the M8 as its basis, which will mean at least 617 horsepower, all-wheel drive and fairly advanced chassis systems. The Skytop has been spied testing at the Nürburgring, so the Speedtop should have at least some sporting pretensions.
Bernd Körber, senior vice president of the BMW brand and product management, says the Skytop "generated great enthusiasm among connoisseurs and automotive enthusiasts," and because of that positive reaction the Speedtop was able to be greenlit. BMW hasn't yet said how much the Speedtop will cost, but the Skytop will cost around $500,000, so expect the Speedtop to be at least that much. We don't know exactly when it'll enter production either, but the first Skytops will reach their owners early next year.
Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox...
Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tesla Cybertruck Sales Fall Well Short of Hype
Tesla (TSLA, Financials) has sold just over 52,000 Cybertrucks in the U.S., far below the more than 1 million reservations it touted before launch, Cox Automotive said. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 8 Warning Signs with BKH. The futuristic design turned heads but left many truck buyers cold. Specs fell short of Tesla's promises and of rivals' gas-powered pickups, while eight recalls in a year dented confidence. Analysts say high sides, awkward loading and limited towing and battery range make the Cybertruck less functional than traditional trucks. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
TechCrunch
an hour ago
- TechCrunch
TechCrunch Mobility: Ford's big bet
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Ford made its big EV announcement early this week — a plan to invest $2 billion to transform its Louisville Assembly Plant into a factory capable of making a new generation of affordable EVs, starting with a midsize pickup truck with a base price of $30,000 that is slated to launch in 2027. Amid the presentations from various executives, union leaders, and employees, CEO Jim Farley said something I couldn't quite shake: 'There are no guarantees with this project. We're doing so many new things, I can't tell you with 100% uncertainty that this will all go just right; it is a bet. There is risk.' The bet? The company put together a skunkworks team, which worked for a couple of years to find a way to build a line of affordable electric vehicles that could be made in the United States faster, more efficiently, and with fewer parts, all while preserving profit margins. To do that, the company has scrapped the century-old system that made Ford a household name and developed a new three-pronged assembly line that uses more automation and unicastings. Ford, like many other automakers, is being squeezed by tariffs, slower than expected EV demand, and the looming threat of competition from China. The company has to act if it wants to stay relevant. But is this the move? Ford can't really use this manufacturing technique at other factories, since it is pinned to how the vehicle is designed and then split into three unicastings — a major departure from the method used to assemble its other vehicles. What this means is we're witnessing a $5 billion experiment ($3 billion for the LFP battery factory and $2 billion for Louisville) to keep jobs in the United States. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $600+ before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW A little bird Image Credits:Bryce Durbin A few little birds told us that rental car startup Kyte, which once billed itself as the 'best alternative to Hertz,' is no longer operating. The startup was already in trouble late last year after slashing staff and cutting down to just two markets. But in July, the company sold its customer list to peer-to-peer car share company Turo. (Turo declined further commenting on the terms.) And since then, Kyte appears to have gone fully under, entering a form of receivership in California in late July. That has apparently left a number of customers in the lurch who had already booked rentals through Kyte; Turo told TechCrunch it is only responsible for the assets it purchased — not any financial claims against the now-defunct Kyte. Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or Sean O'Kane at Deals! Image Credits:Bryce Durbin Bumper, a U.K.-based buy now, pay later platform for car servicing and repairs, raised $10.8 million in a Series B extension funding led by Autotech Ventures. InMotion Ventures, Suzuki Global Ventures, Porsche Ventures, and Shell Ventures also joined. Chowdeck, a Lagos-based food delivery startup, raised $9 million in Series A funding led by Novastar Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, HoaQ, and others. Eve Air Mobility — the urban air mobility company, announced a $230 million capital raise and dual listing in the U.S. and Brazil. The company has raised $1 billion to date. Ultraviolette, the Indian electric motorcycle startup, raised $21 million in an all-equity round led by the corporate venture arm of Japanese electronics giant TDK Corporation. Ultraviolette's existing investors Zoho Corporation and Lingotto (previously Exor Capital) also participated. Via has filed its S-1 paperwork on its road to IPO. The transit software company has not yet determined the number of shares to be offered or the price range. This dropped just as I was sending out this newsletter, so I haven't read through the entire doc yet. A couple of items worth noting, though: The company's revenue grew 35% to $337 million from 2023 to 2024. Its net loss narrowed to $90 million over the same time period. And CEO Daniel Ramot's 2024 compensation package, which includes stock grants, is $9.5 million. Per the footnotes, the company is issuing him an additional grant package for 2025 and a cash bonus program. WeRide, the Chinese autonomous vehicle company, has secured an investment from Grab. The companies did not disclose the investment amount. WeRide said the funds will help speed deployment and commercialization of Level 4 robotaxis and shuttles in Southeast Asia. Notable reads and other tidbits Image Credits:Bryce Durbin Foxconn will no longer build electric tractors for California startup Monarch Tractor after the Taiwanese tech giant recently sold its Ohio factory to SoftBank. History lesson: Foxconn had planned to establish an electric vehicle contract manufacturing operation at the factory and Monarch was one of four companies it was working with. The other three (Lordstown Motors, Fisker, and IndiEV) have all gone bankrupt. Some high-profile executive shuffling is underway. Self-driving truck maker Waabi hired Uber Freight CEO Lior Ron (who has a long and interesting history in the AV world) as chief operating officer. Rebecca Tinucci, who previously spent six years building Tesla's charging network, has taken over as head of Uber Freight. Ron will stay on as Uber Freight's chairman. A spending freeze on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program has thawed after months of uncertainty. The Trump administration has finally issued new guidance that states can use to dole out $5 billion in funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, after spending months withholding the money. Rapido, a popular ride-hailing platform in India, is beta-testing its food delivery service in Bengaluru in a challenge to market leaders Swiggy and Zomato. How many pivots can one company make in its lifetime? Revel is testing the bounds of that question. The company, which started out as an electric scooter rental service, has shut down its ride-hailing service in New York City. Revel will instead focus on its nascent EV charging business. A bit more on the 'Tesla Dojo is dead' news that I wrote about last week. Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla has disbanded the team working on its Dojo AI training supercomputer, just weeks after announcing he expected to have Tesla's second cluster operating 'at scale' in 2026. Tesla is shifting its focus to its AI5 and AI6 chips, which are being manufactured by TSMC and Samsung, respectively. Note: Tesla's plant in Buffalo, New York, was supposed to be the home of the Dojo supercomputer and the company had committed to investing $500 million into the factory over five years to bring Dojo there. Riding in a Waymo robotaxi is a modern, even futuristic, experience for customers. With one exception: the music. Reporter Max Zeff wrote about why Waymo's music upgrade matters. One more thing … The Autonocast, the other podcast I co-host (I'm also on TechCrunch Equity) that is focused on the future of transportation, had another episode that I think you'll be keen to listen to. This time, we interview Nuro co-founder and president Dave Ferguson.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Roger Dubuis Releases The Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph
Roger Dubuis released a high horology version of a chronograph that showcases the traditions of fine watchmaking, while transforming many of the traditional components of a racing watch through the brand's expressive style. The new limited-edition Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph is powered by the RD780SQ, an automatic flyback chronograph movement that operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and has a 71-hour power reserve. Released in 2023, It is the fifth generation of the brand's original chronograph movement created in 1995 by the founder of the brand, independent watchmaker Roger Dubuis. The brand was fully acquired by the Richemont Group in 2016. One of the historical features of the caliber is the column wheel displayed at 6 o'clock, which operates the chronograph's start, stop and reset functions, making it vital for both aesthetic purposes and performance. The stainless-steel column wheel is finished with a poli zinc decoration—a technique that creates a high shine and is usually reserved for components that have an unusual shape. The movement's 310 components feature 16 matte and polished in-house finishes, including those tailored for Poinçon de Genève certification. The watch also has a 120-degree Rotating Minute Counter (RMC) at 3 o'clock, which is described as a 'theatrical feature' by the brand. It is crafted in a rare isotoxal shape. This counter showcases a patent pending display that bears the digits 0, 1 and 2. As its tripartite hands rotates, it moves past the 0 to 9 digits on the right with oversized red numerals ensuring easy readability. Once the chronograph is activated, the RMC puts on a visual performance. The second innovation is the patent pending Second Braking System (SBS), which is part of the movement's vertical clutch mechanism. It adds stability to the chronograph seconds hand and reduces its flickering, the brand said. At 9 o'clock is the Roger Dubuis tilted balance wheel set at a 12-degree angle for increased visibility for the wearer, while delivering the same inertia as a tourbillon. Its performance is enhanced by diamond-coated silicon escapement components, which provide anti-magnetic properties. The movement is housed in a 45mm skeletonized case in 18K pink gold and black DLC Titanium with an open caseback and skeletonized pushers. Its thickness is 17.13mm and has a water resistance of 10 BAR (100 meters and approximately 325 feet). The rotor on the caseback is shaped with five arms, like the rims of a supercar's wheel, further accentuated with the signature sharp lines of Roger Dubuis. The combination of the multifaceted movement and the overall skeletonization results in a dial with a visual impact of multiple moving parts and layers of detail. The black lower flange has transferred texts and minute tracks. The pink gold coated upper flange has screw-like hour markers that are rhodium plated and filled with Super-LumiNova. The hour and minutes hands are crafted of white gold and coated with black PVD. Outline tips are filled with Super-LumiNova. The watch is completed with a black rubber strap equipped with the Roger Dubuis 'Quick Release' system. The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph is limited to 88 pieces. It retails for $135,000. The watch was released August 14, timed for Monterey Car Week, which concluded August 17.
