Unlike the BMW Concept M4 GTS which (let’s all just admit it) is on its final kilometre towards achieving production-ready status, the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R is one that is destined to stay strictly a concept. On the upside, it’s bound to contain heaps of futuristic touches that will undoubtedly appeal to us.
For starters, just look at the thing! Unlike its immediate predecessor, the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage, which drew a fair amount of flak for its odd mustard-like paint scheme, the R variant sports a more appropriate shade of Brilliant White which is offset by the traditional colours of the M division. If the whole scheme looks vaguely familiar, that’s because it was inspired by Brian Redman’s 1975 3.0 CSL race car.
Up front, the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R is dominated by an enlarged version of the marque’s trademark kidney grille – said setup appears to be more upright as a throwback to the favoured layout during the 70s. The headlight themselves feature LED and laser lighting technology for a slimmer outlook while a blue-lit ‘X’ insignia serves as a reminder to the taped-up X-shaped headlights of the original racer.
Elsewhere, the CSL Hommage R has its presence augmented via the adoption of flared wheel arches and a protruding black front splitter, the latter fashioned out of carbon-fibre. In profile, more traces of said material are to be found on the unpainted side sills while matte gold 21-inch light alloy wheels are featured.
Moving on to the rear, it would be almost impossible to miss that gargantuan carbon-fibre rear wing and stylised, double diffuser. The former is particularly interesting from a visual aspect as it contains a strip of LED lights that bridge the taillight assembly – should be one heck of a spectacle when it lights up.
Inside, the cabin sports an even more outrageous take as a carbon-fibre-heavy interior, race-oriented steering wheel and large wooden panel form take centre stage. The seat shells are made out of carbon-fibre while “fanned-out quilting” and six-point safety harnesses with BMW Motorsport stripes add a dash of colour.
The aforementioned wooden panel is another throwback to the original racer as it featured wood trim that ringed around the entire interior. In the show car, said panel is serves as a cross-member and is, in fact, purely structural. Additionally, it also functions as an instrument panel whereby information such as the track layout and optimum braking points are projected through.
Elsewhere, two air vents by the side of the steering column provide a modicum of comfort for the driver while a secondary display screen ahead displays “lap times, overall race time and the car’s current track position.” The limited amounts of space at the rear are solely reserved for a pair of helmets.
Next, we arrive at the core of the car – the driver. The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R adopts what the marque calls a “Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel” approach which results in a futuristic take on the traditional HUD (head-up display) concept. Information such as car’s speed, selected gear and engine revs are projected into the driver’s field of view via his visor.
In fact, the entire race suit, designed by Puma, is meant to heighten the connection between the driver and machine. With both hands on the wheel, the integrated piping on the suit illuminates to show progress on the stream of information, from the steering column to over the driver’s arm and into the visor.
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