BMW's Concept Touring Coupe of a three-door Z4 Coupe-style hot hatch or Shooting Brake has mesmerized an entire world - including across the parallel universes of CGI. And, of course, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators could not stay idle.
If anything, BMW's designs of late are mirroring the outrageous age of Chris Bangle. Only that they are pretty innovative on their own – nobody copied the styling (though voices are claiming such nefarious purposes regarding the new i5), and instead, they expressed their fresh styling thoughts in many new and disparate ways. In the end, they made fans pretty desperate to the point of running amok, crying their undying outrage at the sight of models like the second M2, the latest 4 Series and M3 plus M4, the new 5 Series, or the string of flagships – iX, XM Label Red, 7 Series, i7, plus X7 LCI.
Those are just a few examples. And the trouble with these designs is that they are not following the same logic. Some would say the M2 is like Minecraft in real life, others will run like Porky Pig from Looney Tunes at the sight of the XM Label Red, and some folks haven't gotten used to the double-coffin grille of the 4 Series, M3, and M4 even today. Oh, not to mention the split headlight styling of the 7 Series, i7, and X7. So, dropping something like the BMW Concept Touring Coupe in a sea of restless designs is like a blanket of assuredness, showing that some minds still think highly of the Bavarian brand's legacy. Naturally, that gave people – both in the real world and the parallel universes of digital car projects – a new lifeline to hold on to.
And some pixel masters quickly grabbed this chance at a normal-looking yet entirely stylish design and remembered that there are such things as three-door Shooting Brake models. For example, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation-based virtual artist Aksyonov Nikita has prepared a fresh take on something from the realm of sports cars that was almost forgotten – the Audi TT RS. The two-door coupe and convertible have been around since 1998 as a discrete presence in the premium compact sports car field, always with only these traditional body styles.
However, back in 2005, the second-generation TT was previewed at the Tokyo Motor Show by the Audi Shooting Brake concept car, a three-door hot hatchback – and this is precisely what the CGI expert is recreating today based on the current third TT iteration. Even better, this is an Audi TT RS presumably rocking the five-cylinder 2.5-liter TFSI engine with almost 400 ponies and showcasing its Shooting Brake wagon-like styling with help from a ritzy neon-lime shade and a pack of widebody and aerodynamic enhancements.
If you want something more traditional from the grand touring age, then the automotive designer tucked behind the a.c.g_design moniker on social media was also mesmerized by the Shooting Brake body style and attempted a shot at V8 glory with the unofficial Mercedes-AMG GT R Wagon redesign. It hypothetically uses the M178 engine to rock those 577 ponies and all the luxurious groceries in the trunk to 62 mph (100 kph) in just 3.6 seconds and then to a claimed max speed of 198 mph (319 kph). And, even better, this green CGI thing looks fast even when standing digitally still, right?
Anyway, last but not least, there's also Theottle, the man/artist who loves to play with misconceptions in his fully explanatory behind-the-scenes making-of videos. A recent feature also dealt with the consequences of falling in love with the BMW Concept Touring Coupe, as the author thinks the prototype is a "pretty stunning idea." But, of course, he also threw in a signature spin, and instead of cooking up a hypothetical Z4 Shooting Brake like everyone else, the pixel master decided to make it a five-door RWD hot hatch dubbed 'Z4 Gran Coupe.' And, naturally, he made the end result crimson!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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