Munich
. The BMW Group is using the Concours d’Elegance at
Pebble Beach to present its exciting new take on a BMW roadster.
Dynamic, progressive and an irresistible purveyor of thrills, the BMW
Concept Z4 boasts lithe and compact proportions, a dynamic silhouette
and an emotionally appealing use of forms. The attention-grabbing
design study offers a look ahead to the series-production version of
the car set to be unveiled over the course of next year.
“The BMW Concept Z4 in an all-out driving machine,” said Adrian van
Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “Stripping the car
back to the bare essentials allows the driver to experience all the
ingredients of motoring pleasure with supreme directness. This is
total freedom on four wheels.”
A statement of unbridled driving pleasure.
The sporty and progressive BMW Concept Z4 encapsulates the BMW
Group’s vision of a modern roadster. “The BMW Concept Z4 expresses the
new BMW design language from all perspectives and in all details. From
the dynamic-looking front to the striking flanks to the clean-cut tail
end: a few lines and the subtle interplay between surfaces are enough
to generate a sense of power and emotion,” adds van Hooydonk.
BMW’s roadster tradition, reloaded.
The BMW Concept Z4 adopts classical roadster design cues, such as a
long wheelbase, a low-slung, stretched silhouette and a compact rear
end, wraps them in a fresh, confident package and enriches them with
the contemporary BMW design language. A shorter bonnet and crisp
overhangs ensure the driver sits closer to the centre of the car than
in previous BMW roadsters. This gives the new proportions a focused,
sporty and agile feel. The outline of the car follows a distinct wedge
shape, which fills the BMW Concept Z4 with dynamism before it even
pulls away. The large domes stretching out rearwards from the cabin
elegantly integrate the function of rollover bars and provide a
sporting conclusion to the low-to-the-road silhouette at the rear.
Reimagining the design language and surfaces.
The clearly sculpted shark nose at the front end spawns dramatic
surface contouring that extends the full length of the flanks. The new
direction taken by BMW’s design language can be seen here in just a
few precise lines that form clear surfaces, while the body’s volumes
are powerfully sculpted. The surfaces and forms therefore create an
extremely modern and emotionally engaging impression. The large Air
Breathers rearwards of the front wheels act as the source of the
flanks’ elaborately modelled surfaces (they appear to be shaped by the
flow of air as it exits the Air Breathers). Light and shaded surfaces
develop in a rising movement towards the rear, then twist to form
muscular wheel arches and athletic volumes. All of which shines a
bright stylistic spotlight on the car’s rear-wheel drive. The dramatic
interplay of lines and surfaces underscores the wedge shape of the
flanks and infuses them with even greater dynamism. And the low door
sills, with their distinctive crease, makes the body appear closer to
the road, emphasising the low-slung sensation when viewing the car
from the side.
The expressive Energetic Orange frozen exterior paint finish
showcases the contrasts of light and shade in the surfacing,
accentuating the three-dimensionality of the exterior. And the 20-inch
light-alloy wheels in a sporty bi-colour double-spoke design provide
harmonious finishing touches to the styling of the flanks.
Low and progressive – the front end.
The design of the BMW Concept Z4’s front end is undeniably sporty in
nature. The relationship between the low-set, broad kidney grille and
the positioning of the headlights higher up sparks deliberate
associations with the BMW Z8 and lends the BMW Concept Z4 a certain
flamboyance. In place of the customary bars, the inside of the kidney
grille features elaborately designed mesh, whose vertical orientation
recalls the sporty, functional kidney design of early BMW roadsters
such as the BMW 328 Mille Miglia. In a departure from the BMW norm,
the Concept Z4 provides a vertical interpretation of the classical
four-eyed headlight look, with two overlapping tubes on each side. The
turn signal indicators point diagonally towards the kidneys from above
and underline the dynamic flair of the front end. And the clamshell
bonnet with stylised gill vents curves over the wheels, creating an
intriguing and virtually seamless sweep over the front end as a whole.
The front apron cuts a genuinely athletic figure with its sculptural
design language. Its trio of large air intakes are a nod to the
powerful engine further back and so carry the promise of a dynamic
driving experience. The large carbon-fibre insert in the central air
intake is straight out of the motor sport playbook and champions the
use of detail to emphasise the front end’s dynamic presence. Together,
these design elements compose a fresh and memorable face for the
Concept Z4 – one which pays a very modern and sporting tribute to the
celebrated roadsters of BMW’s past.
Athletic and eye-catching – the rear end.
The design of the BMW Concept Z4 likewise references details and
qualities from BMW’s rich roadster tradition and updates them for the
years ahead. The wide and low design of the rear picks up the lines of
the car’s flanks and massages them into a modern rear of beguiling
clarity in terms of surfaces and styling elements. The powerfully
flared wheel arches give the car broad haunches, which are emphasised
by the slim, L-shaped rear lights and therefore further enhance the
car’s sporting stance. Above the rear lights, the boot lid – complete
with prominent spoiler – stretches across to the burly wheel arch
extensions, sending out a message of power-infused agility. Below,
large air outlets in the rear apron create their own dynamic
impression. The carbon-fibre diffuser adds a sporty and exclusive
flourish and signs off the rear end at its lowest point to the road.
Exterior and interior in unison.
The kinship between the interior and exterior of the BMW Concept Z4
is evident in both forms and colour scheme. The design language of the
interior takes the powerful, three-dimensional character of the
exterior and adds another voice to the dynamic chorus. Much of the
interior adopts the colour of the car body, creating a clear visual
link between the interior and exterior. Only a classy chrome trim
strip provides separation.
Maximum focus on the driving experience.
At the same time, the interior serves to reinforce the total focus on
the driving experience too. The driver’s seat as well as the door trim
panels, instrument panel and centre stack that encircle the driver are
finished entirely in black, meaning that they stand out prominently
from the coordinated orange shades of the exterior and the rest of the
interior. Together they form a clearly defined area that wraps around
the driver like a capsule, producing a very sporty sensation. This
creates a pure-of-purpose driving environment with a pronounced “cone
of vision”, where the steering wheel as well as the surrounding black
surfaces appear to be surging forward and, in so doing, accentuate the
cabin’s powerful driver focus.
The instrument cluster and central information display form a
high-quality cluster of screens that are integrated into the driver’s
cockpit to flawless ergonomic effect. The two displays are now
positioned at almost the same height and in close proximity to one
another, which gives the impression of a single, cohesive unit. They
work together to deliver the right information at the right time. The
driver can choose which elements they wish to call up (via touch
command) from the content available in the information display – route
guidance, playlists or other infotainment features. Above the
instrument cluster, the Head-Up Display presents the key driving
information within the driver’s direct field of view.
Prominent surfacing.
Emerging from the driver’s side of the cabin is a sporty instrument
panel of inherent lightness. The clever arrangement of surfaces and
edging breaks up the considerable volumes and engenders the impression
of a powerfully chiselled muscle. The clear wraparound design from the
doors to the instrument panel enhances the sporty, cocooned feeling in
both seats.
Pared back to the essentials.
In keeping with the focus on the essentials, all the controls are
grouped into “function islands”. Nothing distracts from the driving
experience. Trim elements inside the cabin are likewise minimalist in
nature. Indeed, it is instead the classy materials, carefully applied
polished chrome accents and swish, hexagonal laser-cut motifs in the
seats that do most to create the interior’s exclusive ambience.
Carbon-fibre door sill finishers and embossed asymmetrical logos in
the seats and instrument panel set the seal on the interior’s sporting profile.