Ever since BMW confirmed it would build the Skytop, it raised an interesting question: What happens when it rains? It’s a legitimate concern, considering the concept had its roof wrapped in leather. That won’t be the case for the 50 cars heading to customers, though. A company source has told us the production-ready Skytop has its roof covered in a leather-like material.
The decision might seem like a downgrade for a car that reportedly costs €500,000. However, it makes sense from a usability standpoint. Everyone knows leather and water don’t mix, and the roof would have been easily damaged on a rainy day. Sooner rather than later, moisture would have caused the leather to stiffen, become brittle, and ultimately crack.
Switching to a synthetic material while retaining the leather look as much as possible is the best compromise. As with the concept, the production-ready Skytop features two manually removable targa panels. When owners want the open-air experience, the two pieces fit inside the trunk. It’s an entirely different roof setup compared to the M8 Convertible’s electrically folding top. Another obvious change is the elimination of the rear seats.
BMW told us that, aside from the roof and the addition of parking sensors, the customer Skytop is nearly identical to the concept. More than 95 percent of the showcar displayed at the 2024 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este has carried over to the production version. Customer deliveries began last October, and the car has been sold out for a long time.
Its shooting brake sibling, the Speedtop, was also an instant success. BMW’s striking two-door wagon will have a higher production run of 70 units. Similarly, all of them have already been spoken for. Also based on the M8, the ultimate Touring carried a similar (if not identical) asking price, rumored to hover around half a million euros. Production is set to begin toward the end of 2026, and once the final Speedtop is built, we’ll effectively say goodbye to the 8 Series.
Fun fact: The Skytop and Speedtop are BMW’s first models to feature a newly designed door handle, discreetly embedded into the beltline. The first series-production vehicle to use it will debut later this year when the fifth-generation X5 (G65) breaks cover. Next year’s X7 (G67) will employ the same subtle “winglets” below the side glass.
