MUNICH: Lots of auto events around the world that started out as something relatively specialised are increasingly being used by major automakers to showcase their new, upcoming production models.
BMW has a history of using the sensational Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance event in California to wow crowds and the assembled media with one-off concepts. But via the medium of Twitter, the German luxury manufacturer has announced this year it will be unveiling a new car that could actually be one destined for production.
The car will be revealed on Aug 17, and BMW grandly claims "the road will never be the same" as a result of it.
Last year saw BMW use Pebble Beach to show the world its Turbomeister 2002 Hommage, but the statement about this year's reveal changing the road has obviously led to considerable speculation about this being a production model rather than a one-off. In typically cryptic fashion, all the tweet actually told us was "Find out what is hiding in the dark on Aug 17 at Pebble Beach," which was accompanied by an intriguing teaser sketch.
What's obvious from the image is that the new model is a drop-top of some sort, and it also appears to have cowls behind the front seats, suggesting this is a two-seater roadster. The length of the bonnet also indicates a front-engined format, so, the easy conclusion to jump to is this could be the new successor to the Z4 that we already know is in the pipeline. The problem with that theory though is the Toyota-based model to replace the last Z4 is a relatively compact car, whereas this one looks to be too long for that.
So, unless this is something completely out of the blue, the most likely explanation is this must be the convertible version of the upcoming 8 Series flagship coupe that's getting very close to being released.
The two-seat look of the teaser sketch does tend to contradict that particular theory, but this could just be a concept and the production model wouldn't look greatly different with its rear seats. Regardless, all will be revealed, as they say, in just over a couple of weeks.
