Right here’s my thesis, upfront: if I had $500,000 to spend on a contemporary BMW indulgence, I’d purchase the Speedtop — not as a result of the Skytop isn’t attractive, however as a result of the Speedtop is the extra “BMW” BMW. It’s the one which turns nostalgia into one thing you may truly use, the one which carries the model’s bizarre, great Touring DNA into the current, and the one which looks like an announcement about what BMW nonetheless understands: the candy spot between emotion and performance.
And sure — earlier than anybody says it — this can be a ridiculous downside to have. Half one million {dollars} for what is actually a hand-finished, ultra-limited, M8-based love letter? It’s peak trendy automobile tradition. However that’s additionally why this debate is value having. As a result of if BMW goes to construct rolling sculpture for the one-percent of the one-percent, it ought to nonetheless imply one thing for the identification of the model the remainder of us dwell with.
So: Skytop or Speedtop — which one would you purchase for those who had $500K? I’ve obtained my reply. However I’ll additionally make the case for the opposite facet, as a result of it deserves it.
The Skytop Dilemma: The Romantic Object
I can already hear the counterargument — as a result of it’s robust. The Skytop is the extra romantic object. It’s open-top, extra jewel-like, and drenched in a signature coloration you gained’t discover on any present BMW lot. BMW even positions it as a tribute to iconic roadsters just like the 507 and the Z8, which tells you precisely what emotion they’re promoting: heritage, glamour, and that barely irrational feeling you get when a automobile appears too good to be actual.
BMW is leaning laborious into that aura: the Skytop is capped at 50 items, full cease. And it isn’t simply fairly — it’s backed by correct muscle, reportedly utilizing the 617-hp twin-turbo V8 from the M8 Competitors, the type of powertrain that makes an enormous GT really feel prefer it has a non-public afterburner.
In case your definition of “$500K BMW” is the last word lakefront fantasy, the Skytop is principally a gaming cheat code. It’s designed to be photographed at golden hour and pushed such as you’re starring in your individual brief movie. The highest is a part of the theatre; the entire level is publicity — to the sky, to the sound, to the event.
However right here’s the place I begin to withstand the Skytop — and the place the Speedtop begins to win me over.
Why The Speedtop
At $500K, you’re not shopping for transportation. You’re shopping for an announcement.
This isn’t a rational buy. Interval. And whenever you body it that method, the Speedtop has the sharper argument: it’s the one which doesn’t simply seem like a dream — it behaves like one you may truly dwell with. It has a taking pictures brake silhouette, a luggage-focused rear and fairly sensible. It’s restricted to 70 items, which nonetheless places it deep into unicorn territory, but additionally suggests BMW understands the demand for a barely extra usable type of unique. And just like the Skytop, the Speedtop can also be anchored by a V8.
“Dream” vs “Dream You’d Truly Use”
After I take a look at Speedtop vs Skytop, I don’t simply see two attractive toys. I see two completely different variations of BMW’s soul:
- Skytop is BMW as romantic design home: the 507/Z8 lineage, pure indulgence, the automobile as artwork object.
- Speedtop is BMW as fanatic model: barely quirky, bizarre in the easiest way, but practical— the Taking pictures Brake spirit became a collector’s piece.
So for those who dwell in a relentless sunny space, then the Skytop can be the obvious alternative. It’s a horny and refined because the Speedtop, it’s much more restricted – by 20 items – and it’s the one which opened the doorways for BMW highly-limited editions. Ultimately, you may’t go incorrect with both alternative, but when cash no object, it could be the Speedtop for me. Whereas BMW has loads of open-tops, the Taking pictures Brakes are way more uncommon and in an period of SUVs and stretched out limousines this one will definitely stands out.
Which One Would You Purchase?
However what about you — Skytop or Speedtop? Would you are taking the open-top romance and that one-of-one vibe, or the shooting-brake swagger and the promise of a weekend you truly use?
