Is BMW Readying Another Shooting Brake Concept?

Ever since the Ferrari GTC4Lusso went out of production, the number of true shooting brakes on sale has dwindled from one to zero. This makes us very sad, but while most manufacturers seem to be abandoning the world’s coolest body style, BMW at least seems to still have a place for it – even if it’s only on a concept for now.

The company has teased what looks like the rear silhouette of a shooting brake-style car with the same tail lights as last year’s gorgeous Skytop concept, a car that was  confirmed for a small production run later in 2024.

Whatever this mystery concept is, there’s a good chance we’ll see it at the upcoming Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza, which is taking place on the shores of Lake Como between 23 and 25 May. BMW is a major sponsor of the event, and is promising three world premieres this year, one of which could well be the production version of the Skytop, unveiled at the same event last year.

We suspect this apparent shooting brake version will just be a concept for now, but it’s not implausible that if it receives a similarly enthusiastic response, it could follow its targa-topped sibling into a limited production run.

BMW, of course, has past form with the shooting brake. When it made a coupe version of the Z3 in the 1990s, it eschewed the usual two-door silhouette for an unconventional three-door body often nicknamed ‘the clownshoe’, a car that would go on to spawn the legendary original M Coupe.

That car was referenced at 2023’s Villa d’Este with the stunning Concept Touring Coupe, essentially a current-gen Z4 given the same treatment. BMW hinted at the time that it too could be set for a small run of production cars, but sadly, it never came to fruition. Hopefully, things will be different this time round, and the world will be graced with another weird but stylish two-door estate before too long.