The second $500,000 BMW in as many years made its grand debut last month at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Following in the footsteps of the stunning Skytop, the new BMW Concept Speedtop continues BMW’s foray into ultra-exclusive, hand-crafted automobiles. While the Skytop will be delivered to just 50 customers worldwide, the Speedtop adds another 70 to the club—making the car still quite exclusive.
Now if you’re among the lucky few, the wait won’t be short. According to our sources, BMW plans to manufacture and deliver the Speedtop by late 2026. However, it’s still unclear whether all units have already been spoken for. Much like with the Skytop, the selection process is highly curated and anything but conventional.
VIPs and long-time BMW collectors were given priority when it came to Skytop allocations, and we expect a similar approach for the Speedtop. BMW employs a dedicated sales team to handle these high-end projects, so finding 70 interested parties shouldn’t pose much of a challenge.
Not Officially Coming To The U.S.
If you live in the United States, though, be prepared to pay a premium—and not just because of the price tag. The Speedtop won’t be homologated for U.S. roads, meaning it won’t be certified for regular registration. Why? According to insiders, the cost of certifying such a low-volume model in the U.S. is prohibitive. U.S. regulators typically require 10 to 12 additional vehicles for crash testing, and for a limited run of just 70 units, that would significantly cut into the project’s already slim profitability. European regulations, by contrast, are more lenient for ultra-low-volume production.
Now, some critics might scoff and suggest these models are “just rebodied 8 Series or M8s.” But that’s an oversimplification. Special projects like the Skytop and Speedtop are technically and logistically challenging for a company like BMW, whose factories are optimized for high-volume production—not coachbuilt one-offs. Rather than outsourcing the job to third-party builders (as they did with the Concept Touring Coupe), BMW is producing both the Skytop and Speedtop in-house at Plant Dingolfing, with an emphasis on manual craftsmanship. Even the leather is sourced from the in-house saddlery department, underscoring just how bespoke these builds really are.
There’s a bit of good news for American enthusiasts, though. Much like the ultra-rare BMW 3.0 CSL, which quietly made its way into a few U.S. garages, the Speedtop might still find a few homes stateside—albeit likely under show-and-display rules or through creative import solutions. Some interested collectors have already submitted their requests, so don’t be too surprised if you spot one of these unicorns out in the wild someday.
