The new G29 BMW Z4 is set to make its world premiere
at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 23, but the roadster has
fully uncovered nearly two weeks in advance, thanks to photos posted on
Instagram by user liucunyi. These images correlate with the patent photos
leaked a couple of months ago.
It’s clear that the car retains much of the
wedge-shaped design of the concept shown at Pebble Beach last year. As on the
show car, the low nose is dominated by trapezoidal double kidney grilles –
filled with Y-shaped inserts rather than the usual slats – that are flanked by
vertical headlights hexagonal “corona ring” LED daytime running lights.
Moving over the side, the scalloped flanks flow
upwards out of the deep “Air Breather” vents towards the pert rear, where they
intersect with the three-dimensional L-shaped tail lights and the ducktail rear
spoiler. The car you see here is the M Performance model, the Z4 M40i, so it
receives a sportier front air intake design with an exaggerated U-shaped scoop,
fake rear vents and a larger rear diffuser with integrated twin exhausts.
The new Z4 has been jointly developed with Toyota
and will share its platform, components and powertrains with the Toyota Supra,
although they will each have distinct styling and performance setups. The BMW
will also return to a soft-top format after a brief dabble with a folding
hardtop on the previous-gen E89 Z4.
A number of details of the new model have already
been revealed, such as the fact that the M40i will feature a straight-six
engine (likely the 360 hp/500 Nm 3.0 litre twin-scroll turbo unit found on the
X3 and X4 M40i), lowered sports suspension, adaptive dampers, a newly developed
front axle, staggered M light alloy wheels, M sports brakes and an electronic
limited-slip differential.
