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The BMW Z4 is a rear-wheel drive sports car that began its life back in 2002 before receiving its second generation in 2008. It is offered in both coupe and roadster forms. The current model Z4 is powered by a choice of two engines. The first is a 3.0L I-6 producing 255hp and 220 lb-ft of torque, while the second is a 3.0L twin turbo I-6 producing 300hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. These engines are mated to a six-speed manual, a six-speed automatic, or a seven-speed automatic transmission. Video: Music for Your BMW Courtesy of AC SchnitzerWhen it comes to the business of aftermarket BMW bits, AC Schnitzer are the people you speak to. Not only because their quality and fitment is superb, but also because they’re the only BMW approved tuning company – meaning your bulletproof BMW Motorplan remains intact. They offer a host of aesthetic and performance parts for almost every BMW, amongst the favorites being their performance exhaust systems. Not only do they sound much sportier than the factory items, but they also help free up a few horses and Newton-meters to your chosen ride. In this feature you can listen to not only the tuned versions, but also their factory counterparts for an all-round aural experience. Be prepared to fork out some cash though – one of these babies doesn’t come cheap! Cars include: BMW 550i (F10), BMW Z4 sDrive35is, different versions of the 650 BHP BMW X6M Falcon by AC Schnitzer, BMW 135i and 335i, and the BMW E92 M3. Check out the videos after the jump and don’t forget to turn up the volume! Full story A time-lapse video of the making of a BMW Z4 E89 GT3Whatever the type of car you build, whether its for mass production or for motor racing purposes, one thing holds true: building one takes some serious work from a dedicated group of people. In addition to the laborious manual work involved in building a car, it also takes time. You can’t just throw all the parts together and hope that the car magically runs after that. It doesn’t work that way. Fortunately, through the magic of time-lapse technology, you can actually see the entire build from the ground up in just a matter of minutes. The folks over at WestCoastRacing took to task in building a BMW Z4 GT3 from its humble beginnings as a body shell into a 500 horsepower beast. Using parts that were received from BMW Motorsport, WestCoastRacing took up the task of working on the car, spending 600 hours of work to piece together the entire sports car. The end product, as you can see, is a fine piece of machinery that presumably weights less than 1,200 kilos and uses a 4.4-liter engine that produces over 500 ponies. And thanks to time-lapse technology, we can watch the entire manual production build in just over three minutes. BMW works on Z4 Shooting Brake? 
There is something wrong with the current generation BMW Z4: there is no coupe or M version. And considering BMW has offered these other two versions for the first generation Z4, we really hope the roadster will be joined by a few other variations. How does a Shooting Brake designed by Jasper van der Heiden sound to you? The Shooting brake version will combine design elements from the Z4 Roadster with the usual M sports elements. Of course this is just a design exercise, but we wouldn’t mind seeing this in production anytime soon. The new BMW Z4 Roadster comes in two models for North America, both using the same 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder engine. The sDrive30i has 255 hp, and the sDrive35i uses twin-turbos (one turbo designated for three cylinders each) to upgrade to 300 hp. All variants of the new BMW Z4 come as standard with a 6-speed manual gearbox. As an option, the BMW Z4 sDrive35i is available with BMW’s newly developed double-clutch sport automatic gearbox. 2010 BMW Z4 E89 Z4 3.5 Slingshot by MWDesign
MWDesign has unveiled a new tuning package for the BMW Z4 Roadster inspired by, well, golf. The package is called Slingshot and comes with an updated ECU that adds an extra 78 HP and 116 lbs-ft of torque. And if this is not enough for you, the new Z4 can also be offered with STETT’s FMIC intercooler rated at 620 HP. Next to this impressive engine upgrade, the Z4 Slingshot also gets 20" H1 three-piece wheels finished in a gloss black, the exhaust system which can be painted in matte black, green, and gray. The Z4 also gets carbon fiber inserts, a polyurethane front lip spoiler by AC Schnitzer with a custom made carbon fiber splitter, a new rear spoiler in carbon fiber, and a matte carbon fiber fin. As a touch of added flare, lime green accents are strategically placed in the front bumper air ducts, underneath the rear diffuser, wheel lip striping, and to the roll bar backs. This isn’t the first time MWDesign has taken a beautiful car and improved upon it with the use of color and aerodynamic upgrades. The last tuning kit done by them was on an Aston Martin V8 Vantage and, in theory, included some of the same types of upgrades as made to the BMW Z4. Two beautiful vehicles altered to bring out a little more fun and flare. We can’t wait to see MWDesign’s next project! Press release after the jump. Full story 2011 BMW Z4 with Design Pure Impulse Package
BMW has added a new equipment package for the 2011 BMW Z4 Roadster. The new Design Pure Impulse package will be available starting September 2010 and includes an exclusive combination of colors and materials. The new Design Pure Impulse package includes black Alcantara/Nappa leather sports seats Circuit with yellow color accents, a black Alcantara surface décor with a yellow contrast seam on the front seat passenger side as well as high-grade BMW Individual interior trim strips in a black piano lacquer finish. The package is finished by an anthracite BMW Individual roof lining and yellow Alcantara inserts in the door linings as well as covering the lower section of the instrument panel in yellow and structural fabric car mats. Exclusive for this package, the Z4 can be ordered in Atacama Yellow or Alpine White, plain Black, Space Grey metallic, Titanium Silver, or Sapphire Black metallic. Though a colorful spin on the BMW Z4, this isn’t really all that fantastic. The Z4 is already offered in most of those colors except for the Atacama Yellow. In fact, it is even offered in a Deep Sea Blue Metallic and a Melbourne Red Metallic. So, even the measly £540 to £2,200 that the customer has to pay for these "extras" is too much for a few color tweaks here and there. Press release after the jump. Full story Video: BMW Z4 vs Nissan 370ZThe BMW Z4 and Nissan 370Z are both dream cars. And Fifth Gear had the chance to place them face to face. Japanese technology vs. German technology tested by the British press. Sounds interesting, no? Fifth Gear tested the BMW Z4 sDrive35i, a model powered by a twin-turbo inline-six cylinder engine that develops a total of 300 Hp. It makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 5.1 seconds, while top speed is limited to 130 mph. The Nissan 370Z is powered by a VQ37VHR 3.7 Liter V6 with VVEL rated at 332 HP and 270 lb-ft of torque. It makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4,7 seconds and top speed is limited to 155 mph. So, at first glance, the 370Z seems to be a better choice, but what did the British magazine think? Check out the video to find out! Found in China: BMW Z4 made from block of stone
Try stealing this one. C’mon, we dare you. Not only will you be having trouble boosting it without anybody noticing, but the mere thought of moving this BMW Z4 is enough to make even the most desperate of crooks think twice about getting near it. Of course, it helps that this Z4 is made of stone. Found in Beijing, this incredible one-of-a-kind stone replica of a Z4 is about as intricate as it can get. How so, you ask? Well, the car’s interior is even decked out in all its intricacies. Somebody really went out of his way to make this, proving that in China, there’s nothing that these guys can’t do. 2010 BMW Z4 by 3D Design
When does anyone get to see a German model tuned by a Japanese tuner? Apparently, the answer is today. 3D Design is offering a pretty impressive package for the new BMW Z4 Roadster, even if their only focus is on improving the exterior. The exterior package includes a new front lip spoiler and a trunk spoiler both made of urethane and a rear diffuser made of carbon fiber. The Z4 is audibly improved with the use of 4-tip exhaust. The package is finished by that impressive black exterior color making this vehicle look as if it was made for a man’s man. Although the BMW Z4 does look the part of a mean road racer, unfortunately the lack of turbo boost leaves it a little on the weaker side of the roadster warrior spectrum. For any of the gladiators out there that need a little power along with the vision, try taking a look at the Hamann package for the Z4. Katarina Witt and the BMW Z4 at the new Energy and Environmental Test Centre
Katarina Witt, the BMW Group’s Olympic ambassador, took an exclusive look behind the scenes of the new Energy and Environmental Test Center and didn’t waste the opportunity to shoot a few photos with the new Z4 Roadster. The test center is used to test cars in all weather conditions: sun, rain, ice and snow: "Here, we test extreme heat levels of around 45°C on cooling systems, air-conditioning and engines in order to reproduce conditions in a Middle Eastern summer, for instance. Since we’re able to adjust climatic parameters more precisely at the test facility than on the street, this makes for very precise results. This helps us design our engines and cooling systems in such a way that they deliver optimal performance while simultaneously reducing energy consumption. Perfectly in line with BMW Efficient Dynamics." Press release after the jump. Full story 2010 BMW Z4 sDrive35is Mille Miglia Limited Edition
The 2010 edition of the Mille Miglia is particularly important because BMW is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the historic victory of the House at the Brescia Mille Miglia. And what better way to celebrate than launching a special edition Z4? Called the Z4 sDrive35is Limited Edition Mille Miglia (yes, it is an annoyingly long name), this special edition will be limited to only 99 units. The BMW Z4 sDrive35is Limited Edition Mille Miglia will be painted in a Polaris Metallic matte finish with a black front grill. It will be offered with an M aerodynamic kit, ‘Mille Miglia’ badges, and 19-inch wheels finished in Dark Chrome. The interior will get leather and Alcantara with red stitching and M sports steering wheel with the same red stitching. Under the hood the same engine will be utilized as in the sDrive35is: 3.0-liter 6-cylinder twin turbo engine that delivers a total of 340 hp and 450 Nm of torque. The top speed is still limited to 155 mph. | Find us on Facebook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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