Since the BMW Z4 Concept was unveiled, some fans of the blue and white roundel aren’t catching any sleep. I’m one of those people, thinking day in and day out about how the production car will end up looking. The fact that various sources inside Munich claim that the production version will be close, in terms of design, to the concept certainly doesn’t make it any easier. The video below seems to point to the typical BMW Z4 proportions, showcasing a test vehicle driven on the Nurburgring and near the legendary track.
This the ground where BMW tests all of its cars, from the 2 Series Active and Gran Tourer vans to the most hardcore M models, every Bavarian car needs to be put through its paces on the Green Hell. The BMW Z4 is shaping up to be one of the best handling cars in the range if we’re to listen to what officials and sources are claiming. The chassis has been apparently developed in collaboration with Toyota and it will be shared with the Supra once it comes out. The engines will still be German and we’ll even get a straight six choice in this downsized automotive world we live in.
The top dog will be the BMW Z4 M40i and it looks like it will be using an upgraded version of the B58 mill tuned to make over 350 HP but that’s just the cherry on top, to be honest. Power was never an issue. What we’re more interested in, is the way the Z4 will look like, since every roadster before it was a drop-dead beauty, from the 507 to the Z3 and the most recent E89 Z4. The interior of the E89 Z4 was also quite unique in the range compared to everything else the Germans had on offer.
Earlier shots of the interior showed what looked like a completely new instrument cluster, one close to what the 8 Series Concept showed when it was unveiled. Furthermore, the center console will most likely get a new design and a new gearshift knob, one that resembles the design shown on the F90 M5 for the first time. Chip in the folding roof, the two seats and the perfect balance we’re expecting from the Z4 and this thing is shaping up quite nicely. The G29 Z4 will be introduced next year with the first models reaching their owners somewhere in the middle of 2018.