BMW debuts Zagato Coupe Concept

BMW has a habit of unveiling some wild concepts at Villa d'Estate.  The 328 Hommage, GINA concept, and the retromodern M1 all had their debuts at the Concorso.  BMW's newest addition to that lineup is a bit more realistic - in fact, they say it's a fully road-ready car.  Meet the BMW Coupe Zagato.

You don't have to be a detective to see the bones of a current Z4 underneath the Zagato's pretty skin.  Based on the E89 Z4, the Coupe ditches the folding-metal roof for a traditional Zagato double-bubble fixed top, a cue the Italian styling firm has used on many of their automobiles.  The concept is a fascinating mixture of Zagato and BMW styling traits - the front end is all modern BMW, but you move to the side and see the window line sweeping up towards the roof, opposing the curve of the rear fender - seemingly taken straight from the side on the Aston Martin Vantage Zagato.  More Aston Martin shows up in the upswept Kamm-tail rear end treatment (always a winner).

Also of note is the vertical rear glass: one smooth panel covering the tail lights and rear window is a clever touch.  And the grille mesh is made out of lots of tiny little Z's!  Overall just a gorgeous, classically proportioned sports coupe - and I must say, a much more successful effort of turning a Z into a coupe than either the Z3 or 1st-generation Z4 Coupes were.  The Z3 was a bit of a shooting brake (or bread van, depending on how cruel you're feeling) and the the E86 Z4 Coupe was overstyled, looking like it had a cap welded on.  This is just right - a bit of fastback, a bit of Italian flare - maybe that's what the Z4's been missing.

While we're no strangers to strikingly beautiful concepts that can't move under their own power, the Zagato Coupe is interesting in that it's a fully functional road car.  This could be a sign that BMW has production intent for the car, which would be great.  However, wasn't the point of moving the new Z4 to a folding hardtop that it would eliminate the need for two variants?  Perhaps as a limited-production specialty model it could make some sense; especially if it was lighter and more focused on performance.  Then again, BMW has certainly filled stranger niches before.

Whether or not they decide to produce Zagato Z4's (that's got a ring to it, doesn't it?), they must be commended for making such a beautiful car.  Check out the gallery below for more pictures of the Zagato Coupe, and voice your opinion on this concept in the comments section below!