They’re really bad at keeping this car under wraps.
It’s no secret that BMW’s gearing up to launch its third-generation Z4 roadster at the upcoming Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, California, but it seems that the German carmaker is having a really tough time keeping it all under wraps. Earlier this week, photos emerged on a Toyota Supra forum showing off the new model, seemingly taken from some sort of storage facility where the car’s being held.
But these new shots? These are official press photos.
Obtained by Dutch site Autotijd, the Z4 in question is is an M40i, the headliner in the new Z4 range. What we’re quite happy to see is that the design of the Z4 hasn’t differed much from what was seen in the concept that preceded it. The front end just looks absolutely menacing and is definitely a reinterpretation of what we’ve come to expect from BMW, with perhaps the first-ever ‘rearrangement’ of the brands’ light signature, while the kidney-grille is perhaps the widest we’ve seen in a long time.
The profile features a very prominent vent just behind the rear wheels, while the rear of the Z4 looks quite in-keeping with what BMW’s been doing lately, replete with the prominent L-shaped light signatures that was first really seen in full on the new 8-Series grand-tourer.
When the Z4 debuts later this month, the lineup is expected to be headlined by an “extremely powerful” M40i with an inline-6 petrol mill, with perhaps more than 300kW on tap. The same engine will be used in the Toyota Supra that it shares its platform with, but it’ll be detuned somewhat (or so we’ve been told). But the Z4 will make use of a ZF-built 8-speed automatic transmission, though a manual will likely be offered, perhaps even at no cost.
With the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance set to open on the 23rd of August, we’re waiting to glean a whole bunch of details on the new Z4 in the very near future.
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