Brescia, Italy - The modern version of Italy's famous Mille Miglia race that pays tribute to the driving heroes of the real events of 1927-57 started on Wednesday with the surprise unveiling of a very special concept car designed to celebrate the BMW 328 coupes that triumphed in that era.
It's based on the modern Z4 coupe but the lattice-frame, carbon-fibre and aluminium hull copy in modern idiom the style of the 328 and has been called the BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia 2006.
It took pride of place here as the 2006 entrants were scrutineered ahead of the event.
The Mille Miglia was resurrected in 1977 as an annual rally to celebrate one of the world's great motor races. All vehicle models that competed in the original races from 1927 through to 1957 are allowed to enter.
Highlighting the 22 BMWs that have entered this year's event, BMW's latest concept looks back to these great racing cars. In particular the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupe that was driven into the record books and past the chequered flag in the 1940 race.
It also looks ahead to future motor sport achievements with a modified drive train and suspension from the new Z4 M Coupe providing the car's power and control. A body 23cm longer and four centimetres lower, than BMW's latest production sports car is set off by 20" alloy rims shod with 245/40 radials that complement the car's powerful presence.
The concept car looks to both the past and the future in its styling and construction; it pays homage to the outstanding achievements of the engineers who contributed to BMW's successful motor sport heritage, while confirming the passion to construct dynamic cars from the most modern materials and processes available.
This remains a fundamental concept for today's BMW road and race cars.
In the drive to win races and manufacture the "ultimate driving machine", the techniques and materials may have changed beyond all recognition but the drive and ambition remains the same.
In the 1940 Mille Miglia, the winning BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupe recorded an incredible, and thoroughly modern, 166.7km/h average speed over the course's 1000 miles. This is still the fastest average speed for any Mille Miglia.
The BMW 328 was one of the most successful competitive vehicles in BMW's long motor sport history. It was introduced in 1936 and the racing specification 328 won its class in almost every race in which it competed from 1936 to 1940, and continued winning races in the 1940's and 1950's.
In 2004 the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupe became the first car to win both the Mille Miglia (1940) and the modern version of the race.
The design team responsible for the original 328 succeeded without the benefit of computers - building models was the only option - but despite the digital revolution modelling remains a fundamental part of the design process for today's BMW's.
During the design of the BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia 2006 the designers took a step back in time and formed the car from plaster, rather than clay, models. Quite literally a more "hands-on" process.
The concept car's hinged hard-top is a reference to the relaxation of the rules at Le Mans when racing cars moved from soft to hard-top construction as closed vehicles became eligible to race.
Similarly, the new Z4 Coupe was derived from the Z4 Roadster soft-top as a "behind-the-scenes" project driven by the designers' enthusiasm. This coupe development led to the production of the new Z4 M Coupe Racing car.
While the hinged roof structure recalls past events, the principle function of the hinged system, that also raises the cockpit, removes the requirement for doors (reducing weight) and increases torsional stiffness.
Modern design processes were used to stretch an aluminium shell over a lattice frame. The body is also constructed from light materials, with carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) clothing the entire vehicle.
Inspired by BMW's glorious motor racing heritage, the science of aerodynamics was addressed with thoroughly modern techniques and design resolutions. Side panels and the rear section of the car were designed to allow turbulence-free airflow up to the tail where it is split.
Carbon-fibre underbody fins and diffusers on the front and rear aprons also contribute to the car's aerodynamics.
Air intakes in the A-pillars, arranged in a slim Z-line, direct cooling air from the straight-six engine and contribute to developing downforce and reducing turbulence at the wheel housings.
Modifications were made to the inlet and exhaust systems of the Z4 engine to give the concept car more of a racing sound at both idle and full throttle.
The interior retains the functional simplicity prevalent in both the 328 and the Z4 but in a modern presentation. Only three materials are used; thin stainless steel, untreated cowhide, Lycra fabric. This purist form even extends to lettering, logos and symbols embossed into surfaces using laser technology.