We’ve long known about the partnership between BMW and Toyota. Both brands have each been developing their own sports car built off of the same new platform. For BMW, that car is the upcoming BMW Z4 Roadster. For Toyota, it’s the upcoming, and highly anticipated, Toyota Supra successor. Both cars are very exciting and both cars should be very good. Both cars have also been spotted testing in Munich recently.
For the BMW Z4, we should be seeing a return for form for BMW. Its new chassis and soft-top roof will make it significantly lighter than the outgoing car and should be more fun as well. The soft-top roof alone is a big advantage, in terms of dynamics, over the folding metal hard-top, as it weighs significantly less and brings the center of gravity down. It’s also far less complicated, therefor more reliable. But it’s also built on a new chassis that’s both lighter and stronger than its predecessor’s.
I also really like its proportions. With a really short rear deck and long hood, it has classic roadster looks. It also seems to sit really low and looks quite wide. It just looks like it will be a fun car to drive. The rear axle is almost directly behind the driver, so it should have the old-school BMW feeling of rotating around the driver’s hips.
But also spied testing around Munich was the Toyota Supra. It’s almost as if BMW took all of the new toys out to play recently, as we’ve seen a ton of upcoming BMWs spied testing in Munich. What’s interesting about the Supra is that it seems to look quite a bit different BMW Z4. Not only is it not a convertible, but the proportions seems a bit different.
The nose isn’t as long as the Z4’s and the rear deck is even shorter. It also seems to have the classic Supra shape, which is good. It’s refreshing that they’re both different looking, rather than the last sports car partnership Toyota had, producing two identical cars with different badges.
BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra could be the end of the relationship
Both cars look really good and we can’t wait to see both in the flesh. While BMW fans might not typically be interested in the Supra, they should this time around. Being based on a BMW-codeveloped chassis, the new Supra could pave the way for a successful future of partnering Toyota with BMW. That can only be a good thing.
[Photos: Matski]
