Former BMW M Boss Shows Off M4 With M-Shaped See-Through Hood

Update, June 9 3:45 PM: A BMW spokesperson confirmed that this hood is a special one-off that will not go into production. We have updated the story below to reflect the new information.

The former head of the BMW M division, Markus Flasch, recently took to Instagram to share pictures of an M4 with an intriguing hood. Between two carbon fiber stripes, there is an M logo through which observers can see into the engine bay.

The M logo features three slashes and an upper case letter M, all of which are placed firmly in the middle of the hood. It appears to be filled with some kind of plexiglass to allow you to see the engine cover, on which BMW M Power is written, rather recursively. The lettering also appears to be illuminated, adding another plot twist.

Flasch, now the product boss at Rolls-Royce, was the CEO of the M division until he took on his new position in 2021, which means he was heavily involved in the development of this M4. Unfortunately, he doesn’t share much about the car seen in this Instagram post, apart from rhetorically asking if it has the “best hood in town?”

We have reached out to BMW for more information and will update this story when we hear back.

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A post shared by Markus Flasch (@markusflasch)

The concept of a clear hood is anything but unusual. Several mid-engine supercars have done it in the past and the C6 Corvette ZR1 even showed that it can be done with front-engine vehicles. That said, there tends to be more to look at under the hood of those mid-engine supercars, than a repetitive engine cover.

The post has led some observers to wonder if this will be offered to customers, perhaps through BMW M Performance Parts, which has made it its business to offer aftermarket-style parts like these from the company itself. Unfortunately, a BMW spokesperson confirmed to Carscoops that the hood is a special one-off that will not go on sale.

What do you think of the hood, though? Is it a nifty little bit of M gear that should have gone into production or is it a tacky addition to an over-the-top car that’s better as a one-off? Let us know what you think in the comments.