BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe unveiled

Unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the new BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso is a one-off concept and represents Pininfarina's interpretation of how an exclusive high-end luxury BMW should look. BMW favored partnering with Pininfarina on this project as they felt that the Italian design firm's expertise with luxury and exclusive cars would perfectly complement their vision for the car that we feel some day could grow into the next 8 Series. This is the second time that BMW have collaborated with an Italian firm, the first being with the BMW Zagato Roadster and Zagato Coupe introduced last year at Pebble Beach and designed by Zagato Design.

Pininfarina is better known for being one of the chief design firms for almost all production Ferraris since their partnership began in 1951. Some of their notable designs include the Ferrari Dino 206 from 1965 and more recently the stunning Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. They have also diversified into other products and industrial design.

The profile of the Gran Lusso seems to draw inspiration from the 2012 Gran Coupe albeit with a higher shoulder line that runs uninterrupted from head to tail lights. The front end wears a fresh look that holds the traditional kidney grill in focus while new LED running lights surround headlamps that are housed in two angular recesses. The air intakes in the lower half of the bumper are flared near the 21-inch wheels and in our opinion, don't do much for the look of the front end.

This is in stark contrast to the rear of the car where the design looks a lot better put together. The slim wrap-around tail light makes its way right across under the boot lid and is most definitely the striking feature from this angle. Massive twin quadrangular chrome exhausts tips set in a blacked-out diffuser at the bottom of the rear bumper also cry out for attention and hint at the V12 motor hidden under the long bonnet up front. Highlighting the high-end luxury of the Gran Lusso are the handcrafted interiors that are a lavish mix of the finest Foglizzo leather and Kauri wood from New Zealand. Even the roof liner and carpeting are made of specially sourced fabrics of the highest quality.

Speaking at the unveiling, Karim Habib, Head of BMW Design said "The appeal of this collaboration with Pininfarina is that you get another, very different and special angle on facets like luxury and exclusivity. In Pininfarina, we have found the ideal partner to lend shape to this vehicle concept." With this focus on high-end luxury, this may be the precursor to the new 8 Series that is expected in the near future.