BMW M1 concept

The new BMW M1 Hommage was a surprise debutant at the Concorso d’Eleganza 2008 di Villa d’Este this weekend. No prizes for guessing what it is: this is an official concept car to mark the 30th anniversary of the original M1 supercar.

The Hommage is a clever reinterpretation of the 1978 coupe, bristling with echoes of the original. The low-slung coupe stance, the slatted deck where a rear window should be, those polished, sink-strainer alloy wheels - it's an unambiguously direct bloodline connected to BMW's first proper supercar.

Don't expect a Mini-style trip down memory lane. The M1 Hommage is brought bang up to date with the latest design trends: there's the rear diffuser, the usual lack of any visible door handles and typically tiny door mirrors. We like the BMW roundels sitting on the extremities of the rump though.

No prizes for guessing that the M1 is not bound for production. Instead, it's a celebration pure and simple. Even the forthcoming 8-series coupe won't be quite this wedgy and wide. But we can't help wondering if there are some clues to a new evolution of the kidney grille in that broad, squat front end.

It's rare for a manufacturer, and especially BMW, to throw a complete surprise, but few outside Munich's HQ even knew this show car was coming.