BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
BMW Z4 Forums (G29) BMW Z4 (G29) General Forum BMW Unveils the new BMW Z4 M40i at Pebble Beach

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      08-23-2018, 01:47 PM   #45
M3 Adjuster
Banned
Albania
7905
Rep
11,785
Posts

Drives: 1M, X1 M Sport, E46 325ic
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Dallas, Tx

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by bunker View Post
looks great except for these bits. anyone have any guesses as to what they are and why they are there? they look weird to me.
Its another BMW styling element that looks horrible in photos and probably not so bad at all In person
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 01:49 PM   #46
gds52
Colonel
gds52's Avatar
886
Rep
2,720
Posts

Drives: BMW Z4M Coupe, BMW 328i E93 Co
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: NJ

iTrader: (0)

Appreciate 1
Racer201029.50
      08-23-2018, 01:51 PM   #47
bgeorge0049
Private
21
Rep
98
Posts

Drives: 2006 BMW Z4 3.0si
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Van Alstyne, TX

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by eDrive View Post
It's a underrated figure no doubt.

Looking forward to getting my hands on one.
340 is the European model. 380 is the NA model.
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 01:53 PM   #48
AGAV13
Captain
AGAV13's Avatar
United_States
804
Rep
951
Posts

Drives: AW 135is (#363/586)
Join Date: May 2012
Location: CT 860

iTrader: (2)

I think it looks fantastic. Going to have to drive one next summer.
__________________
CURRENT
2017 Boxster S ?718? (07/27/18)
2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Recon - (10/28/18)
SOLD
2013 BMW 135is #363/586 - AW, Black Boston Leather w/ Exclusive Blue Stitching, Prem., Tech, DCT, Heated Seats, HK
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 01:53 PM   #49
///M TOWN
.
///M TOWN's Avatar
13117
Rep
8,300
Posts

Drives: M GmbH
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: North America

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2018 M2  [8.78]
Quote:
Originally Posted by bgeorge0049 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by eDrive View Post
It's a underrated figure no doubt.

Looking forward to getting my hands on one.
340 is the European model. 380 is the NA model.
I wonder if that is due to restrictions.
__________________
///
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 01:54 PM   #50
supra93
Colonel
2474
Rep
2,334
Posts

Drives: Z4, E500, Supra, RX7
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: TX

iTrader: (0)

BMW’s Lukiest designer

https://www.motoring.com.au/bmws-luk...signer-114214/

Quote:
August 24, 2018

How an Australian turned around the soul of BMW’s most design-oriented car

Sydney designer Calvin Luk didn’t hesitate when he was asked to revive the BMW Z4 roadster, which had become a stodgy, overweight shadow of its original self.

He knew, because the BMW Z4 was close to his heart. He owned one. Not just as a company car, but with his own cash.

Luk, 31, drives an original E85 Z4 as his personal transport around Munich and, besides, it was his parents’ purchase of an E36 BMW 3 Series that hooked him on car design in the first place.

“All of these cars are very personal to me,” Luk told motoring.com.au in an exclusive interview in a Bavarian photographic studio last month.

“One of our family friends got a Z3 when I was a kid and the designer of that car is now a mentor of mine.

“The Z8 is from the Bond film and that’s a big influence here, [so is] this E89 Z4 that my parents have and the Z4 that I use. I feel like I grew up with these cars.”

As soon as BMW’s engineering team took the decision to move the driver forward to tackle the Porsche 718 Boxster’s handling advantages, Luk felt like the 2000-2003 Z8’s proportions could make a comeback.

“The Z8 proportions, you can see here. The lights are high up on the kidney grilles, like the Z8. Further down, we have the lowest kidney within BMW to ground it,” Luk explained.

“We got the classical roadster proportions but we moved the driver a bit more forward to give them a more focused driving experience.

“There is also just enough of the shark-nose lean in the front and the bonnet is really low so it’s attacking the road.

“The wedge makes it very different to the previous two generations. This wedge really pronounces the pouncing feel.”

Messing with tradition

Luk was also given license inside BMW to push the boundaries of its traditional design language, which has been criticised in the design community for holding the company’s cars back.

“The design does not have to play exactly by all the rules because it’s a roadster,” Luk explained.

“We still have the double round headlights, but they are vertically stacked and that’s the first time we have done that.”

The grille itself is initially quite confronting, though Luk believes its subtleties will help the Z4 age better than its predecessor.

“The Z8 is more of a retro idea and we went for a mesh in the grille (in place of the vertical slats) because it’s more contemporary,” said Luk.

“There is still the verticality of the kidney bars that we show, but it’s sub-divided now.

“It’s also mimicking the Mille Miglia car. Get closer to it and they [the individual components in the grille] are like mini-aeroplanes in the sculpting.”

There are other tricks up front, too. Though the car is still (like all cars today) cursed by the little circles of the parking sensors, the radar has been carefully hidden, to the point where you can’t find it even if you’re looking for it.

“The radar does not stand out. It’s integrated into the design of the air intakes for the brakes on the M Sport model,” Luk said.

“It is a duct for the brakes and air curtains on the side, like all BMWs, so you can’t see it.

“Those Parking Distance Control circles: they all work with specific angles so we can’t change them. The engineers dictate where they go for optimal coverage. Every designer hates them.”

The side view

There is something strong and cohesive about the Z4’s side view, but it doesn’t immediately hit you until Luk explains it.

“There is one key line on the car from the side. It runs from the bottom of the clamshell bonnet at the (front) wheel all the way along the side and into the tail lights,” he said.

“It’s extremely three-dimensional. With that one line we can play a lot with variations in the surface.

“It’s facing down from the wheel before and it starts twisting, so the shadow goes away and it turns into the shoulder line.

“From the back it’s easy to see how the line twists and flips into the muscle of the rear wheel arch.”

There’s a light catcher along the door sills to ground the car’s visual look and the M40i scores a little extra notch in its air breather that will separate it from lesser Z4s.

The car runs a lot of sculpting over the rear wheels, primarily to add to its muscle and to visually enlarge the rear wheels.

“We always try playing the lines pretty close to the wheels to make the wheels bigger optically,” Luk admitted.

“That’s how we play to the proportions of the car. That’s always the start of it. How much fender muscle do we want and how we squeeze it?

“It seems to work with the X cars better but with a sports car we want to squeeze it down a bit.

“The muscle above the rear wheel is to get the mass to look lower.”

The back-end

Luk was given more scope to fiddle with the BMW design legacy at the rear-end, where he turned the compulsory L-shaped tail-lights into something more three-dimensional than usual.

“The L has much more depth than we usually have. They are very slim with no shade line. This is the new design language for the brand.”

It’s a critical point for Luk, which has set him up for a strong future at BMW as the last people to set the design language for BMW were Chris Bangle and current BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk.

The language will debut on both the Z4 and the new 8 Series at about the same time, with super slim tail-lights.

But that’s not all that sets the rear-end apart from its predecessor’s.

“We also place the rear fog lamp in the centre, like a Formula 1 car, and the brake light is smoked to place the emphasis on the rear lights,” Luk explained.

“The boot is plastic, because this shape is impossible to press in metal.”

The roof

There have been plenty of additions to the new BMW Z4, but one major subtraction: the roof.

The outgoing car’s folding metal roof has gone, saving about 50kg and helping enormously with the car’s proportions.

The cloth roof isn’t as short or stumpy as the original, either, but looks sleeker, like a coupe shape, when it’s fixed.

“The roofline has a faster angle at the back than before. It’s about a two-three ratio to the glasshouse length,” Luk said.

“The roof is a special material and the standard is black but there’s also an optional material like denim.

“From the beginning, we knew we were going to do a soft-top. That made it easier.”

The interior

The interior makes, if anything, a bigger step forward than the exterior and though it wasn’t Luk’s work, he’s enthusiastic about it.

“The cockpit is really cool. The accents all pull you into the instrument cluster. All the switch gear is all focused on the driver.

“It’s much more minimal on the copilot side, but it’s very sculpted in front of them. It’s still exciting but not cluttered.”

The downside is that everything that looks like metal inside the cabin is actually galvanised plastic, and metal can’t be ordered as an option.

There are two 10.3-inch screens, including the instrument cluster, and it’s the first BMW roadster to score a full head-up display as an option.

The two cup-holders are hidden, somewhat awkwardly, back near the driver’s elbow, and there are two ambient light strips that direct the eye towards the instrument cluster.
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 01:56 PM   #51
Huz-Z
Brigadier General
Huz-Z's Avatar
Canada
843
Rep
4,051
Posts

Drives: Z4 3.0si, 328 XDrive, X5 35i
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Canada

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by eDrive View Post
I wonder if that is due to restrictions.
My understanding - subject to correction by others who know for sure - is that European emissions restrictions are stricter than those in the US, resulting in the horsepower difference.
__________________
Huz-Z


BMW Z4 3.0si Roadster. Montego Blue Metallic. Premium and Sport Package.
Appreciate 2
ZHPsedan135.50
///M TOWN13117.00
      08-23-2018, 02:09 PM   #52
ZHPsedan
Second Lieutenant
United_States
136
Rep
283
Posts

Drives: 22 750i
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Southeast

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2022 BMW 750i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by ska///235i View Post
Absolutely zero BMW is this car
This statement makes zero sense to me. Toyota fans should be saying there is Zero Toyota in their Supra.
Appreciate 3
///M TOWN13117.00
otay826.00
      08-23-2018, 02:14 PM   #53
Law
Global Moderator
Law's Avatar
United_States
6377
Rep
2,309
Posts

Drives: E90 M3 6MT
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: USA

iTrader: (1)

Garage List
2011.5 BMW M3  [10.00]
2004 BMW M3  [10.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huz-Z View Post
My understanding - subject to correction by others who know for sure - is that European emissions restrictions are stricter than those in the US, resulting in the horsepower difference.
Well I'll be damned.
We've finally reached a point where US spec engines are more powerful than their European equivalents

On a side note not really feeling the bug eye look or "fake" exhaust tips.
Besides the lack of a manual option, this is also probably the first BMW roadster where "cute" could be used to describe it...and that's not a good thing.
__________________
2011.5 E90 ///M3 | 6-Speed Manual | Slicktop | Jerez Black | Fox Red

E9x M3 Press/Media Archives Thread | S65-based Racing Engines Thread
Appreciate 1
      08-23-2018, 02:19 PM   #54
Josh (PA)
Banned
230
Rep
265
Posts

Drives: '11 135 vert, '13 x5, '03 e46
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Downingtown, PA

iTrader: (0)

any word on the B58 getting paired with a manual? Any manual option at all?
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 02:19 PM   #55
supra93
Colonel
2474
Rep
2,334
Posts

Drives: Z4, E500, Supra, RX7
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: TX

iTrader: (0)

BMW Z4 designer Calvin Luk on the new roadster's look

Quote:
New BMW Z4 is here, and we've spoken to the man in charge of its design

BMW’s reborn roadster sets the tone for a new era of design language for the brand, according to the Z4’s exterior designer, Calvin Luk.

“The new design language on this and the 8 Series is about minimising line work,” he explained. “The philosophy is a couple of major lines coupled with softer lines.” For example, the wedge line is a major line on the Z4 and exists alongside softer lines, Luk explained.

BMW’s well-known kidney grille has been designed with a new mesh on the Z4; this is expected to filter into other BMW models. “It has the vertical bars of the BMW motif, but in a mesh form of mini aeroplanes. It’s reminiscent of the 328 Mille Miglia race car,” Luk said.

The Z4 has also reinterpreted BMW’s 'double-round' lights, stacking them on top of each other — something that hasn’t been done on any BMW previously. He continued: “The stacked lights were decided in the sketch phase. It felt more exotic and sports car-like. The lights are high and the kidney grille is low.”

Luk also focused on making the Z4 more driver-focused given the wider remit of the third-generation Z line-up to be far more dynamic behind the wheel than its predecessor. “The wheelbase is slightly shorter, but we’ve brought the driver forward a little to bring the focus back to him/her. Before, the hood was a bit too long. It’s still a long bonnet, which identifies it as a BMW roadster, but it’s a little shorter than before.”

At the rear, BMW has tried to create a really wide stance. There are 3D sculpted lights that are in one piece (meaning no shut lines), an integrated rear spoiler and, in the top-of-the-range M40i, a quad exhaust.

Luk said the biggest challenge designing the Z4 was at the front end: “Every project has unique challenges, but the front end tends to be the most problematic because of required crash structures. For example, we tried to get the kidneys as low as possible, but we would probably have put them even lower if it weren’t for other considerations.”

And despite the Z4's partnership with the upcoming Toyota Supra, Luk said the design teams haven't liaised. He said: “The Supra was a really independent operation. I’ve never spoken to anyone at Toyota during the design of the Z4.”
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...roadsters-look
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 02:30 PM   #56
///M TOWN
.
///M TOWN's Avatar
13117
Rep
8,300
Posts

Drives: M GmbH
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: North America

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2018 M2  [8.78]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huz-Z View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by eDrive View Post
I wonder if that is due to restrictions.
My understanding - subject to correction by others who know for sure - is that European emissions restrictions are stricter than those in the US, resulting in the horsepower difference.
That's what I thinking
__________________
///
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 02:30 PM   #57
SDCoupe
First Lieutenant
SDCoupe's Avatar
76
Rep
335
Posts

Drives: M Coupe
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: San Diego

iTrader: (0)

Really don't like the practice of putting an M alone on the side of the car. It's not a Z4M. Similar to the M240i, which also has a lone M on the sides. Misleading. Leave a solo M for the full M cars.
Appreciate 3
Law6377.00
Alexxxx52.00
      08-23-2018, 02:30 PM   #58
Jockey
Brigadier General
Jockey's Avatar
3435
Rep
4,978
Posts

Drives: 992 C4S
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Park City, UT

iTrader: (1)

Would buy. Looks great!
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 02:33 PM   #59
crawfordbay
First Lieutenant
crawfordbay's Avatar
United_States
84
Rep
313
Posts

Drives: M Coupe
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Hilton Head Island, SC

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
1998 BMW M Coupe  [0.00]
2014 BMW M235i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by manni22gp View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by vadimshalukhin View Post
Looks way too similar to the Kia stinger
Yes, real tragedy that it's a similar shade of red... Where is it even having a resemblance?
Seriously? Looks so much the same it took me more than a glance to figure which was which.
__________________
Driving an EB ///M Coupe and an M235i ... And loving it.
Appreciate 2
trey1001125.00
gtrsam222.00
      08-23-2018, 02:37 PM   #60
crawfordbay
First Lieutenant
crawfordbay's Avatar
United_States
84
Rep
313
Posts

Drives: M Coupe
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Hilton Head Island, SC

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
1998 BMW M Coupe  [0.00]
2014 BMW M235i  [0.00]
I wish the generic front end was even half as good as the back end looks. :
__________________
Driving an EB ///M Coupe and an M235i ... And loving it.
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 02:46 PM   #61
CP911
Major
United_States
986
Rep
1,241
Posts

Drives: '18 M240i 6-speed Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: NW Indiana

iTrader: (0)

I want to know wheel specs. They look good and I'm curious how they would fit on a 2er.
__________________
CP911
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 02:46 PM   #62
stevenvillatoro
Captain
stevenvillatoro's Avatar
United_States
735
Rep
611
Posts

Drives: ‘18 M240i, Estoril Blue
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: San Diego, CA

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2018 BMW M240i  [0.00]
Shrink it overall by 10%, offer a coupe variant, slash $10K off the price... and I'll hurry down for a test drive.
__________________
—Steve

'19 MX-5 Miata GT-S soft top
Past BMWs: two '57 Isetta 300s, '70 1600, '72 Bavaria, '78 320i, '18 M240i
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 02:51 PM   #63
Jason
Administrator
Jason's Avatar
United_States
40286
Rep
21,232
Posts

Drives: F80 M3
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA

iTrader: (0)

Added our live looks from Pebble Beach.

Z4 M40i Live From Pebble Beach


__________________
Check on the Latest BMW News
Become a fan of Bimmerpost Facebook
Follow us on Bimmerpost Twitter
Subscribe to Bimmerpost Youtube Channel
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 03:02 PM   #64
10"
Colonel
10"'s Avatar
No_Country
4946
Rep
2,260
Posts

Drives: orange BMW 1M.
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: world

iTrader: (0)

Characterless design...

The old Z3 and Z4 has personality. This doesn't.
__________________
don't read this. too late...
Appreciate 1
Alexxxx52.00
      08-23-2018, 03:03 PM   #65
bobloblaw
Lieutenant
745
Rep
585
Posts

Drives: m3
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: CA

iTrader: (0)

Overall not too shabby. Only complaints are those random black bits on the front bumper that were already mentioned and those lines on the hood make no sense to me. The rear end is a bit bulky and tall compared to the rest of the car too IMO. I really wish they had kept the sharper corner of the headlights on the concept. It made the car look so much wider and more aggressive.

How do people feel about the iDrive screen in the dash? Do you prefer it to be integrated into the design with large asymmetric bezels like this, or do you prefer a rectangular tablet-looking screen with minimal bezels?
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2018, 03:05 PM   #66
Brey335i
Banned
112
Rep
4,771
Posts

Drives: e46 ///M3
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Austin, TX

iTrader: (11)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ska///235i View Post
Absolutely zero BMW is this car
So true. I look at this and don't recognize it as a BMW not even with those kidney grill things. I've always loved every z car until this one

After crazy rich asians, it will be interesting to see how this car which is designed and marketed exclusively to Asian tastes will do for BMW

Personally I think they made a big mistake since the result is generic and non German. That's why people buy bmws, because they are German
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:47 AM.




bmw
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST