The Audi R8 has garnered many fans who are fascinated by the car’s (Gallardo-lite) mid-engine orientation and great performance. I think the R8 is very unique and interesting but I find it’s styling to be a bit lacking.

It’s edgy, but not beautiful. Performance is what really counts though to many people, so it’s not really an issue for Audi in selling the car. It’s fitting then that the proposed BMW response is similar in styling reaction.

I’m not a huge fan of the overall design, but the quality of the rendering is excellent. In creating this vehicle, designer Idries Noah took inspiration from nature, specifically “water and the way it flows and ripples”. Interesting. So while the rendering has some BMW elements, it doesn’t have traditional BMW DNA written all over it. 

Like a lot of designs I’ve been seeing lately, the rear is the car’s best, most flattering view. Regardless of my opinion on the car’s design, I could see a car like this doing well for BMW fans who want their own counterpart to the R8. There’s no doubt designer Idries Noah did a great job on executing the design. In my opinion though, if BMW does ever decide to produce a R8 competitor, they’d be smart to make it look similar to their very own M1 and recent M1 Homage Concept.