BMW Mille Miglia Concept, Powder Blue Metallic

In 2004 the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupé added a second chapter to its story. Driven by Giuliano Cané and Lucia Galliani, the car that had won the 1940 Mille Miglia won the modern revival as well, becoming the first car to take victory in both the classic race and its present-day successor. Two years later BMW brought its own tribute to the Mille Miglia in Brescia. The company was frank that the Mille Miglia Concept would never win a race. It was built instead as a monument to the engineers of the 328, a one-off that set the Touring car's proportions (long bonnet, divided windscreen, enclosed rear wheels) over the running gear of the Z4 M Coupé, with an entire body in carbon-fibre reinforced plastic.

This piece is painted a soft powder blue metallic, a pale, cool pastel with a fine sparkle that brightens almost to silver on the highlights. The cabin is light grey, with ribbed seats and black harness straps, a pale steering wheel and a silver dashboard and console, and the gills behind the front wheels carry pale inserts. The kidney grille, frosted round headlamps, red tow eye, carbon-patterned mirrors and the red lamp strip across the tail are all in place. Built at 1:18, it rests on a grey stitched base whose black plaque bears the BMW roundel and reads 'Limited', one of 7.