With the golden era of coachbuilding long behind us, shooting brakes are now sadly few and far between. Rare modern examples include the Ferrari FF, its GTC4Lusso successor, and BMW’s own Z3 M Coupe. We also recall Zagato’s gorgeous long-roof Aston Martin Vanquish, but the heyday of shooting brakes is now a distant memory.
However, BMW revisited the formula in 2023 with the Concept Touring Coupe, only to abandon plans to revive the iconic “clown shoe.” To be fair, it was never officially confirmed for production. Fast-forward to 2025, and the Speedtop is set to be produced in a limited run of 70 units, each priced at an unconfirmed €500,000.
None of the shooting brakes we’ve mentioned match the shape of the M8-based wagon. At least, that’s the view of BMW Group Head of Design, Adrian van Hooydonk. In an official video introducing the Speedtop, he states: “There have been some shooting brakes before, but I would venture to say that there has never been proportion like Speedtop.”
It’s certainly a bold claim, especially when considering some of the remarkable designs of the past. The Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake springs to mind, followed closely by the Volvo P1800 ES. A lesser-known but equally striking example is the Lamborghini 400GT Flying Star II, designed by Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera as arguably the only wagon to bear the raging bull.
Adrian van Hooydonk refers to the concept, but the production version will likely look virtually identical. Essentially a two-door, two-seat M8 Touring aimed at BMW’s most affluent customers, the Speedtop follows last year’s targa-topped Skytop. That convertible came with a similar price tag but was even more exclusive, limited to just 50 units.
And there’s more to come. Additional low-volume models will likely follow the M4 CSL-based 3.0 CSL, Z4 M40i-based Touring Coupe, and the M8-based duo. Speaking to Autocar at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, van Hooydonk said:
“At BMW, I think we are in the business of creating dream cars and fulfilling those dreams every now and then. We’ve been doing so many show cars for so many years—also here at Villa d’Este—and for the past few years, we’ve occasionally been able to make those dreams come true. We did this with the 3.0 CSL, with Skytop last year. Now, with Speedtop, the chances are pretty good that we will do it again.”
