Here is BMW’s new roadster, co-developed with 2018 Toyota Supra, in concept form.

The BMW Group just used the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach to present its exciting new take on the BMW roadster, the all new BMW Z4.

The Supra and BMW’s next drop-top will use the same basic architecture, but they’ll look completely different. The Supra will only be offered as a coupe while the roadster will more than likely have a fabric roof. BMW has ditched the folding hardtop for the Z4 and is targeting a weight of between 3,000 to 3,200 lbs. It also won’t be a Z5 as the rumor mill had us all believing. Of course BMW’s current naming convention uses even numbers for coupes and cabriolets. So keeping to that rule they would have had to call it the Z6, which would have meant going more up market and bigger, defeating the purpose.

“The BMW Concept Z4 in an all-out driving machine,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “Stripping the car back to the bare essentials allows the driver to experience all the ingredients of motoring pleasure with supreme directness. This is total freedom on four wheels.”

What’s under the hood?

We can really only guess at this point but it’s probably that it will be rear wheel drive only, no all wheel drive models or hybrids and use one of the many engines BMW has at it’s disposal. These include a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four with 180 hp and 248 hp, and a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six with 320 hp. There probably won’t be an M version of the Z4 but BMW is considering a “Competition Package” which should offer 360 hp. A six-speed manual will be available and an eight-speed automatic as an option.

 

BMW’s roadster tradition, reloaded.

The BMW Concept Z4 adopts the classical roadster look, with a long wheelbase, a low-slung, stretched silhouette and a compact rear end, wrapped in a great looking skin. The hood is shorter so the driver sits closer to the center of the car than in previous BMW roadsters. It looks more focused, sporty and agile.
The instrument cluster and central information display form a high-quality cluster of screens that are integrated into the driver’s cockpit. The two displays are now positioned at almost the same height and in close proximity to one another, which gives the impression of a single unit. The driver can choose which elements they wish to call up (via touch command) from the content available in the information display – route guidance, playlists or other infotainment features. Above the instrument cluster, the Head-Up Display presents the key driving information within the driver’s direct field of view. Carbon-fiber door sill finishers and embossed asymmetrical logos in the seats and instrument panel set the seal on the interior’s sporting profile.

Meanwhile the new Z4’s production twin the Toyota Supra, rumored to also have a 4 cylinder engine, was spotted cold weather testing a while ago….we can’t wait.

The production Z4 will debut at the Geneva Show in March 2018