The BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé is a concept car shown at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2013. It was the first car built jointly by BMW and the Turin coachbuilder Pininfarina, and it was meant to anticipate the new BMW 8 Series.
BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé at a glance
| Built by | BMW with Pininfarina, Turin |
|---|---|
| Shown | Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, 2013 |
| Body | two-door coupé, four seats |
| Engine | 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged V12 by BMW |
| Purpose | preview of the new BMW 8 Series |
| Wheels | 21-inch |
| Cabin | leather and kauri wood from New Zealand |
| Rear | quad exhaust, LED tail lamps in one unit |
| Award | Good Design Award 2013 |
| Status | one-off concept, not produced |
The article is based on one source, the English Wikipedia page on the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé.
History of the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé
A first joint project
The Gran Lusso Coupé was presented at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2013. It was the first vehicle on which BMW and Pininfarina worked together: the German maker brought the mechanical package and its design language, the Turin carrozzeria brought its own way of shaping a body.
Design
The car is a two-door coupé with generous external dimensions and a wheelbase that is very long in relation to its volume. Familiar BMW elements are present but reworked: the double kidney grille is tilted forward into a “shark nose” in the manner of the BMWs of the 1970s and 1980s, the slim headlamps are pure LEDs, and the Hofmeister kink at the rear window is reinterpreted rather than copied. The side view follows the classic grand-tourer recipe, with a long bonnet and a cabin set far back. At the rear there is a quad exhaust system and tail lamps whose LED elements merge into a single shape. The car rides on 21-inch wheels.
Inside there are four seats, with extensive leather and kauri wood from New Zealand. For its styling the Gran Lusso Coupé received the 2013 Good Design Award.
A preview of the 8 Series
BMW described the concept as a way of anticipating the new 8 Series. The car itself remained a one-off: it was a design study, not a production model, and no version of it reached the showroom.
Design and features
- Shark-nose grille: the double kidney tilted forward, a nod to BMWs of the 1970s and 1980s.
- Long-wheelbase proportions: a long bonnet and a cabin pushed far back, the classic grand-tourer layout.
- Kauri wood and leather: the cabin uses New Zealand kauri wood together with extensive leather trim.
- BMW V12: a 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged twelve-cylinder engine developed by BMW.
BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé versions
- Front end: slim LED headlamps around a forward-leaning double kidney grille.
- Side view: Hofmeister kink reworked by Pininfarina, 21-inch wheels.
- Cabin: four seats, leather and kauri wood.
- Rear end: quad exhaust and LED tail lamps joined into one element.
Pininfarina’s other work on this site includes the Pininfarina Spider, the last version of the Fiat 124 Sport Spider. More cars are in the Pininfarina collection.
Video: BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe DRIVING at Concorso d Eleganza Villa d Este 2013
Video by The Car Addict on YouTube.
Sources
- BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé, English Wikipedia: debut, engine, design, award
