Looking at these images, you'd be forgiven for thinking they were car designs for the new Blade Runner sci-fi movie. This is the BMW M1 Shark Concept, the latest creation from talented Italian rendering artist Alex Imnadze. If that name sounds familiar, it's because this is the same artist who dreamed up the stunning design for the Porsche GT Vision 906/917 concept. While we're still waiting for the BMW M1 to make its triumphant comeback in 2018, Alex has gone for a more futuristic design.

The resulting shark-esque shape is extraordinary, though it probably won't be very practical in the real world – it's low ride height may be suitable for the race track, but it isn't very speed bump friendly. Likewise, it's wide body kit makes it extremely imposing, but we wouldn't be brave enough to try and park it. We're not even sure if we would trust it to park itself. Alex, who used to work for Bertone Design, tells us the M1 Concept is his tribute to Bertone. As well as the BMW M1 Concept, influences include the Bertone Stratos Zero prototype (which in his opinion is the most iconic design to ever come out of the company) and the BMW Gina, which formed the basis of many of Bertone's recent designs.

You can also see some clear influences from the BMW Vision Next 100, such as the twin front grille and flexible hybrid skin. As for specs, Alex reckons the M1 Shark Concept would adopt an all-wheel drive setup with one engine powering the front wheels and another powering the rear. Estimated power output is 1,300 horsepower. Sadly, it's probably going to be a long time before we start seeing cars with styling as striking as this. Hopefully BMW's design team is taking notes.