To honor iconic and legendary models of the past, carmakers sometimes build modern homage versions. For instance, a 2020 Shelby GT500 Green Hornet was built to pay tribute to the 1968 Shelby EXP-500. Some actually go into production such as the Bullet Mustang or New Beetle. BMW has its legends too. One of these is the BMW 328, for which a tribute concept was built in 2011. Watch Supercar Blondie give a quick walk-around of this BMW 328 Hommage.
A Carbon Fiber Tribute To 1930s Legend
The BMW 328 is often regarded as the most successful and best-looking sports car of the 1930s. In a sense, the 2011 tribute is how BMW would build the 328 for the modern day, in part by using naked carbon for applicable exterior and interior elements. While carbon is pretty common in sports car nowadays, it is more rare to see this material used to this extent in 2011.
Exterior: Reinterpreting The Past For Modern Times
Being a tribute concept, the Hommage reinterprets several elements from the nearly 90-year old sports car. These include four tan leather straps that seem to dive under the shoulder and reappear on the sides. Other reinterpreted elements include the tank filler neck integrated slightly into the bodywork and the two-part light alloy wheels with a special hole pattern. Fortunately, while the new 3-and 4-series models appear to channel the original 328's tall twin kidneys, they are more subtly represented on this concept.
Supercar Blondie quickly took note of the black "X" on the large single round headlights of the BMW 328 Hommage. No, these have nothing to do with the "X-Men." The X-shaped headlights actually pay tribute to the black tape fastened to hold the headlights of cars in place during races.
Interior: Simple And Puristic
Getting inside the BMW 328 Hommage is easy as there is no roof and no doors. Tan leather is used on the ergonomic seats and on the structure surrounding the steering column. Matte and high-gloss black polished aluminum are also found in the cabin.
The cabin of the BMW 328 Hommage comes with sparse instrument panel with just the rev counter and simple gauges. It also features two iPhones (latest of 2011?) in special holders, assuming additional display functions for the sports car. The tribute concept is also equipped with modern four-point seat belts. As for power, the Hommage is served by a the company's ubiquitous3.0-liter inline-6, mated to a sequential-shift gearbox.
Source: Supercar Blondie on YouTube