BMW’s latest creation, the exclusive Skytop, has shifted from a luxurious concept to a high-performance machine. Recently spotted on the Nürburgring, the Skytop tackled the famous track with the precision and confidence of a true M-powered car.
Despite its camouflage, the Skytop’s bold design is still evident. The shark-nose front end recalls the classic 507 and Z8 roadsters, while sleek, thin headlights add a modern touch. The rear features a tapered deck that draws inspiration from the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, with an illuminated kidney grille framed by the narrowest production headlights BMW has ever made. Slim LED taillights wrap around the sculpted back, giving the car a polished, production-ready look. Even as a prototype, the Skytop seems more like a luxury yacht than a sports car—until it drops a gear and takes on the corners.
The Skytop is built on the G14 8 Series Convertible platform, but it takes the concept further. While the 8 Series blends luxury with performance, the Skytop amplifies both aspects. It offers grand touring comfort, refined interior and exterior design, and the ability to switch into a sporty, high-performance machine.
Under the hood, the Skytop features BMW’s most powerful V8 engine yet—a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged unit producing 617 horsepower. This matches the M8 Competition and trails the M5 CS by just 10 horsepower, but it delivers thrilling performance. The eight-speed automatic transmission propels the car from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just over 3.3 seconds.
Inside, BMW sticks with a classic approach, maintaining the 8 Series layout but removing rear seats in favor of a driver-focused, two-seat configuration. The cabin is finished in rich reddish-brown leather. Unlike newer BMW models, the Skytop retains the iDrive 7 system and physical buttons, offering a more tactile, traditional interface in a digital world.
The Skytop is not built on a standard production line. Like the limited-edition 3.0 CSL, it is hand-assembled through a coachbuilding process, allowing for extensive customization and craftsmanship. The entire development took just 15 months—a remarkable feat for such an exclusive vehicle.
BMW will produce only 50 units of the Skytop, and all of them are already sold. At a price of €500,000 (approximately $540,000 USD), the Skytop is not only one of the most expensive BMWs ever made but also one of the most coveted. No wonder it’s already sold out.
