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... it measures 161.0 inches (4090 millimeters) long, 43.1 inches (1905 millimeters) wide and 51.2 inches (1300 millimeters) tall.
The concept car runs the new magnesium-block 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine already found in a number of different models in the German carmaker’s lineup. With a gutsy 265 hp, it kicks out 34 hp more than the older aluminum-block 3.0-liter used in the Z4 Roadster. Torque also swells by 11 lb-ft to a new peak of 232 lb-ft on a band of revs stretching from 2500 rpm to 4000 rpm.
It’s enough, according to BMW, to get the Z4 Coupe to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.7 seconds. That’s 0.2 second inside the time of its open-air sibling and, notably, some 0.5 second faster than the all-wheel-drive TT Coupe 3.2 quattro against which the new BMW will inevitably be compared. With its fixed roof providing added downforce and improved aerodynamic properties, top speed is limited to 155 mph.
To create real appeal, though, the Z4 Coupe needs an engine that will propel it beyond the grasp of the Cayman S. To this end BMW plans to introduce a successor to the rapid but notoriously slow-selling Z3-based M Coupe. Set to get an airing in early 2007, with North American sales likely to get under way later that year, the upcoming Z4 M Coupe is earmarked to receive a lightly reworked version of the current M3’s 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine mated to BMW’s latest seven-speed M-sequential gearbox.
With 343 hp, it promises the sort of performance that will give the new Porsche a real run for its money. Nothing is official just yet, but a 0-to-62-mph time of around 5.0 seconds appears well within reach.
Underpinning the Z4 Coupe is a lightly reworked version of the Z4 Roadster’s alumi*num-intensive rear-wheel-drive chassis. Sharing elements with the superceded E46 3 Series, it uses a combination of MacPherson struts up front and a trapezoidal-shaped multilink arrangement at the rear. These will be reworked with firmer springs and dampers as well as larger-diameter anti*roll bars.
Steering is via an electrically assisted system, as opposed to the hydraulic setup used on most other BMW models. Though the addition of the fixed roof adds weight, BMW claims the gain will be minimal, meaning it will likely come in around 3240 pounds in standard guise.
The closed body brings greater rigidity than the roadster sibling’s open shell, so the Z4 Coupe promises to ride more serenely than the Z4 Roadster over broken and patchworked sections of road. Less flex should also ensure heightened handling.
Predictably, BMW won’t talk pricing just yet, but if the Z4 Coupe is targeted against the TT, SLK and 350Z, it will have to be pitched in the lower-$40,000 range for the standard 3.0-liter model. Much more, and it might just find itself priced out of contention. The range-topping 3.2-liter Z4 M Coupe, on the other hand, is likely to be positioned closer to the $58,900 Cayman S.
... it measures 161.0 inches (4090 millimeters) long, 43.1 inches (1905 millimeters) wide and 51.2 inches (1300 millimeters) tall.
The concept car runs the new magnesium-block 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine already found in a number of different models in the German carmaker’s lineup. With a gutsy 265 hp, it kicks out 34 hp more than the older aluminum-block 3.0-liter used in the Z4 Roadster. Torque also swells by 11 lb-ft to a new peak of 232 lb-ft on a band of revs stretching from 2500 rpm to 4000 rpm.
It’s enough, according to BMW, to get the Z4 Coupe to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.7 seconds. That’s 0.2 second inside the time of its open-air sibling and, notably, some 0.5 second faster than the all-wheel-drive TT Coupe 3.2 quattro against which the new BMW will inevitably be compared. With its fixed roof providing added downforce and improved aerodynamic properties, top speed is limited to 155 mph.
To create real appeal, though, the Z4 Coupe needs an engine that will propel it beyond the grasp of the Cayman S. To this end BMW plans to introduce a successor to the rapid but notoriously slow-selling Z3-based M Coupe. Set to get an airing in early 2007, with North American sales likely to get under way later that year, the upcoming Z4 M Coupe is earmarked to receive a lightly reworked version of the current M3’s 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine mated to BMW’s latest seven-speed M-sequential gearbox.
With 343 hp, it promises the sort of performance that will give the new Porsche a real run for its money. Nothing is official just yet, but a 0-to-62-mph time of around 5.0 seconds appears well within reach.
Underpinning the Z4 Coupe is a lightly reworked version of the Z4 Roadster’s alumi*num-intensive rear-wheel-drive chassis. Sharing elements with the superceded E46 3 Series, it uses a combination of MacPherson struts up front and a trapezoidal-shaped multilink arrangement at the rear. These will be reworked with firmer springs and dampers as well as larger-diameter anti*roll bars.
Steering is via an electrically assisted system, as opposed to the hydraulic setup used on most other BMW models. Though the addition of the fixed roof adds weight, BMW claims the gain will be minimal, meaning it will likely come in around 3240 pounds in standard guise.
The closed body brings greater rigidity than the roadster sibling’s open shell, so the Z4 Coupe promises to ride more serenely than the Z4 Roadster over broken and patchworked sections of road. Less flex should also ensure heightened handling.
Predictably, BMW won’t talk pricing just yet, but if the Z4 Coupe is targeted against the TT, SLK and 350Z, it will have to be pitched in the lower-$40,000 range for the standard 3.0-liter model. Much more, and it might just find itself priced out of contention. The range-topping 3.2-liter Z4 M Coupe, on the other hand, is likely to be positioned closer to the $58,900 Cayman S.
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