BMW’s latest concept is a modern spin on an icon from the 1970s

By Ronan Glon August 19, 2016

Taking a break from autonomy and e-mobility, BMW has traveled to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California to introduce a new, heritage-laced concept called 2002 Hommage.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s most likely because the concept is an evolution of the first 2002 Hommage concept that debuted earlier this year in Italy at the Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance, one of the few automotive events on the planet that’s at least as extravagant as Pebble Beach. The new version of the concept is inspired by the race-winning versions of the iconic 2002 Turbo, but it puts a modern spin on a couple of key styling cues.

One of the most famous 2002 Turbo race cars in the 1970s was sponsored by Jägermeister. Instead of once again striking up partnership with the German liquor company, BMW opted to develop a new Turbomeister livery that uses roughly the same font as the original Jägermeister script. Black, gold, and white turbo emblems that hark back to the Jägermeister logo add a finishing touch to the period-correct look. BMW hasn’t revealed why it couldn’t use Jägermeister graphics.

The BMW 2002 Turbo was the first turbocharged production car in Europe, so it’s reasonable to assume that the concept isn’t naturally aspirated. However, technical specifications haven’t been published. Similarly, BMW hasn’t released photos of the cabin, so we don’t know whether the retro treatment is more than skin-deep.

Read more: We can’t help falling in love with Elvis’ newly restored BMW 507

The retro-styled concepts that BMW has shown at high-brow car events all over the world for the past few years have one thing in common: none of them have ever made the jump from a design study to a production car. There’s no reason to believe that the 2002 Homage is an exception to the rule, so don’t expect to see a BMW coupe inspired by the 2002 land in showrooms in the near future.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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