BMW Gran Lusso Coupe concept revealed

This is the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe concept car, which was revealed at the Villa d'Este concours in Italy this weekend.

While BMW stresses that the car is purely a one-off, it has emphasised how well the concept builds on current design language to create a new 'automotive persona' that is 'ready' to join the luxury vehicle class.

The Gran Lusso Coupe features a long wheelbase and a fastback roofline, which sits behind a contoured bonnet that covers an unspecified V12 engine.

At the front, an oversized version of the double-kidney grille reflects, BMW says, 'the power of the V12 unit nestling behind it'. The narrow twin headlight units are clipped at the brow and sit above a single front air intake that enlarges at the wheels, similar to the style seen on the 4 Series Concept Coupe.

The car's overall size is disguised somewhat by the 21-inch wheels, as well as the doors that taper inwards beneath the high waistline. The cut-out spaces created by the pinched waistline double as channels for the air vents behind the front wheels.

At the back, the light strip runs the full width of the car, with the rear clusters at each side sliced in half to allow airflow through the middle.

Inside, BMW claims that rear legroom rivals that of luxury saloons. The interior of the concept car has been handcrafted using upmarket materials; the seats are clothed in Italian leather and the wood veneers are made from ancient New Zealand kauri timber.

The Gran Lusso concept is a similar size to the current BMW 7 Series, so the design indicates what a coupe body could look like on the next-generation models chassis.

The new BMW 7 Series is due to be launched in 2015, so even if the Gran Lusso Coupe concept does develop into a production model, its unlikely well see it for at least two years.

By Ed Callow