BMW Z4 Concept rolls out

RARELY does a concept car run the gauntlet from show car to production vehicle unscathed, and it’s typical for many of the features that draw both crowds and praise to fall foul to compliance regulations and costing equations.

But BMW’s Z4 Concept is one car we hope makes it from show floor to showroom unmolested.

Revealed at the Concours d’Elegance, Pebble Beach, the newest BMW design study grabs a whole handful of previous concept and production car styling cues, and folds them together with a new contemporary look and the results are stunning.

Yes, the cool asymmetric interior design, blade-like door mirrors, and aerodynamic pods behind each headrest are highly unlikely to survive the transition from fantasy to reality, but if the Z4 Concept’s overall proportions and design can be retained, BMW is on to a winner.

Its long bonnet and short tail proportions, subtle duck tail rear spoiler, steeply raked windscreen, and five double-spoke wheels all hark back to the previous E85 and E89 Z4’s, while the roll-over hoops behind each seat have evolved into more aerodynamic pods that bear the concept’s name.

While the concept hopefully previews what the third-generation Z4 will look like, there are heritage styling cues. High-set headlights and deep-dished steering wheel bring a little Z8 back from the late 1990s, while the grille mesh delves deeper into BMW’s history and the original 328 Mille Miglia.

Disappointingly, nothing is spoken of the drivetrain and whether the next Z4 will share any oily bits with the forthcoming Toyota Supra, which is said to be powered by a hybrid powertrain and auto-only transmission.

The Z4 Concept appears to have an auto but, if the car is the “pared back, all-out driving machine” BMW describes it to be, expect the production version to be on offer with a manual gearbox as well. The car maker does at least confirm it has a rear-wheel drive setup.

On the outside, its sharp appearance and styling is complemented by unapologetic Energetic Orange satin paint and 20-inch wheels that wear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. The front wheels conceal large Z4-branded four-piston brake calipers and iron rotors.

As you might expect from any discerning sports concept, carbonfibre features heavily throughout including rear diffuser, door sill trims, broad front air dam, roll-over hoop inserts, and the so-called side ‘air breather’ vents.

Besides the spectacular two-tone interior, which is reminiscent of a David Bowie off one shoulder outfit, the Z4 cabin has some neat details in the form of organic hide-covered seats with a laser etched hexagon pattern for the driver’s perch and a stopwatch display that is incorporated into the steering wheel rim.

With its aerodynamic pods over its rear deck, the concept is either a strictly fair weather proposition with a permanent open-top or there is a folding roof mechanism cleverly hidden away somewhere we can’t identify.