BMW reaches back into the history books every so often to pay homage to its
most iconic models. It revealed the M1 Hommage concept in 2008, the 328 Hommage
concept in 2011, the 3.0 CSL Hommage in 2015, and the 2002 Hommage last year. What will it do next?
After
looking at these renderings, it should be the
320i Turbo. They're the work of one Monholo Oumar, the same French designer
who previously brought us Renault Spider and Megane RS renderings. And he could
hardly have picked a better basis for this latest project.
The 320i Turbo was the
dominant force that BMW unleashed on series like DTM, the European Touring Car
Championship, and the World Championship of Marques in the late 1970s.
The successor to the 3.0 CSL, it was designed to
meet the FIA's Group 5 specifications. It was ostensibly based on the E21 – the
first-generation 3 Series, but packed a 2.0-liter turbo four lifted from BMW's
Formula 2 racer, producing 300 horsepower. In the hands of the legendary BMW
Junior Team, it won its first race and dominated many more to secure numerous
championships as its drivers worked their way up to Formula One.
With only 28 examples made, a celebrated racing
pedigree, and such eye-catching aero, the 320i Turbo looks prime for the
Hommage treatment. But even if the manufacturer doesn't, at least these renderings
will pay tribute where tribute is due.