BMW pays Hommage to the 3.0 CSL

BMW has taken the wraps off a tribute to its legendary 3.0 CSL at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The 3.0 CSL Hommage is an attempt to recreate the magic of the classic coupe using modern lightweight materials and some very un-1970s technology and styling.

In keeping with the focus of CSL models past, the Hommage has been made as light as possible. Whereas the 3.0 CSL of the 1970's was made lighter with an aluminum roof, aluminum wings and plexiglass wings, BMW's modern interpretation is all about carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which has been chosen for both it's light weight and excellent strength.

BMW has shown its commitment to using CFRP on recent releases such as the M4, and just in case you weren't aware of where the lightweight weave has been used on the Hommage, the car's carbon bits have been left exposed.

BMW says the car's kidney grille has been designed to hark back to the more vertical design that characterized its cars of the 1970's, but to our eyes it's just too big. Combine that with the bloated front wheel arches and slim laser/LED headlamps and you've got a face that seems a long way from the gorgeous simplicity of its older brother.

The Hommage's flanks are one of its strongest design points, with the clean, simple design proving one of the clearest connections with the 3.0 CSL that inspired it. The use of dark materials on the flanks is designed to have the effect of visually lowering the car, while the BMW badge and shape of the window line also have been plucked from the classic car and thrust into the 21st century.

At the rear, the 3.0 CSL's massive rear spoiler has been reinterpreted to include a broad LED strip that links the two sinuous taillights, part of BMW's plan to create an illusion of width with horizontal lines. Also accentuating the Hommage's width is the carbon fiber rear diffuser, which sits within the bulbous CFRP rear apron.

Inside, carbon fiber is the dominant material, although the wooden strip running across the dash is a throwback to the 3.0 CSL's wood-trimmed interior. Housed in that dash is an electronic readout, which gives information about the car's eBoost charge levels, while a steering column mounted screen provides information about speed, revs, shift points and gear position.