New BMW concept wows the crowds at FoS
The BMW Concept RR was revealed earlier this year, but made its first appearance in the UK at the Festival of Speed.
BMW used the Goodwood Festival of Speed to reveal its latest superbike concept to the UK public, as the Concept RR made dynamic runs up the hillclimb across the weekend.
The bike, which is widely regarded to become the successor to the highly successful S100 RR, was first unveiled as a static model in May, at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Italy. Any mumblings that this was a static concept, designed to draw attention and nothing more, were quickly hushed last weekend, as the bike screamed up the Duke of Richmond’s front drive.
Estimated to pump out an eye-watering 230bhp, the bike is an amalgamation of road-going sportsbike and full-fat World Superbike, thanks to a host of features drawn directly from BMW’s racing program. BMW’s latest creation is packing the kind of electronics suite that makes current showroom models look like they’ve just crawled out of the primordial soup. We’re talking full factory-spec race modes, adjustable engine braking, and traction control levels so granular they probably need their own user manual. All of which points firmly towards one thing: the future production model is going to be very serious indeed.
The Concept RR is all about aero and construction, and BMW has clearly let the design team off the leash. The bodywork reads like a greatest hits album of superbike design. The iconic shark gills are back, but now they’re joined by an extended underbelly that runs almost all the way to the rear wheel. It’s visually dramatic and functionally focused, giving the impression of mass centralisation and low weight, with a distinct whiff of CFD wizardry about the whole affair.
Carbon fibre? Everywhere. Fairings, mudguards, even the swingarm, it’s a carbon buffet. The subframe is a stark contrast, crafted from aluminium and wearing a glowing ‘RR’ badge that doubles as a minimalist rear light. But it’s not just eye candy. BMW reckons the hybrid construction helps channel air between the two materials to reduce turbulence and smooth out the airflow. Fancy stuff.
And yes, there are winglets. Of course there are wings! But these are a cut above your average bolted-on bits. They’re sculpted, seamlessly integrated into the fairing, and wrap around the front like a second set of eyebrows—sharp, assertive, and very, very purposeful. They give the whole front end a more angular, almost angry aesthetic, contrasting the curvier lines of the current S and M1000 RR.
While the already available S1000 RR, and its more hardcore M1000 RR, already look, sound, and ride like brutes, the new Concept RR looks like it might be even more extreme to ride. And that exhaust note could have been crafted by Mozart!
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
