Six-speed manual transmissions connect the engine to the wheels. The sDrive35i comes optional with the seven-speed double clutch transmission. This allows it to go from 0 to 60 mph in under five seconds.

The exterior of the new Z4 has been changed slightly and features swept back headlamps and front air dam details. These help to make the model seem bigger. However, it keeps to its lean look thanks to the new ducktail – which has been produced will a less aggressive design. One of the biggest changes is the brand new power hardtop. This is a two piece aluminum rood that opens and closes in 20 seconds with just a simple push of a button.

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It is obvious that they have taken a different design strategy for the Z4 and we are loving it so far. It is a bit of an evolutionary process that we have not seen BMW take in a long time. They have cleaned up the design and made it similar to the 3-series with a larger twin kidney grille.

The proportions are also much more balanced and reasonably sized in the front end with a tapered rear. BMW has decided to put aside the soft top and replace it with a retractable hard top – which we prefer. It is a very good necessity to have.

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The test mule has been heavily camoflaged in order to keep people like us away – but it is obvious from the video that this is the new roadster that we have been hearing about. The information that we have been provided with so far tell us that the new roadster will be available in 2010.

The new roadster will be keeping the short rear decklind and long nose that can be found on the current model. The theme and design of the roadster will be akin to that found on the Concept CS that was debuted last year in Shanghai. The most dramatic change will be the retractable hard top – which means that it will be a lot heavier than the current model. However, with the hard top it will be keeping up with most of the competition.

It will be interesting to see what the new roadster will look like and the changes that will be made to it over the next few months.

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We are still now sure exactly what model it is at the moment, but we do know that this roadster will be coming with a retractable hardtop. There are gaps at the base od the windshielf that show four to six inches between the padding and the actual vehicle.

We were able to see cloth seats, which means that this vehicle is not going to be an expensive convertible. So all of those enthusiasts out there are going to have to be sufficed with this new roadster and put their plans for the Z9 on hold.

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The luxury option from the Z6 will make the car to have a price arround $130.00, while the Z4 which starts at $40.000. A succesor for the Z4 will come, but in 2010 and will be named Z2. The successor to today’s Z4 will remain near $40,000 and will continue to compete against the Audi TT, Porsche Boxster and Nissan 350Z.

The Z8 was powered by a traditional 5.0 liter V8 engine pumping out 400 horsepower. The car made the 0 to 60 mph sprint in under 5 seconds and had a top speed of 155 mph. Comparing to that, the new Z6 will come with a range of engines. The Z6 will come in a traditional front-engine format and not mid-engine, how was suggested before. The available engines will be a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder, a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 and a 5.0-liter V10.

The output for the new Z6 will be: 300 hp for the Inline-6 engine, 360 hp for the V8 version, and also a M-version it is also expected (powered by the V10 engine) with an output arround 500 hp. The 0 to 60 mph sprint will be made under 6 seconds and will have a top speed of 155 mph (electronically limited).

The Z6 will be about the same size as the existing 6 Series and will be built around an aluminium spaceframe chassis incorporating many elements of 5/6-Series structure. The design will be inspired from the California Spyder Concept presented at Los Angeles in 2005.

The Z6’s design will also feature cues from the Z4. The highlight of the new sports car is its high-tech structure a combination of aluminum space frame and steel unibody construction. It will feature a retractable hardtop roof, exactly as the Mercedes SL, but comparing to it, will be longer, with a bigger storage space. The Z6 will weight less than 3300 lbs.

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The base Z3 could get downright scary during full-tilt driving. Only the hardtop M Coupe  although still capable of hair-raising antics was stiff enough to offer some semblance of those two most laudable of classic BMW traits. Despite the warts, BMW Z3 sales boomed on the strength of styling and the cachet of the BMW name. And the competition, only a half step behind, got ready to pounce on the resurgent roadster category.

Mercedes introduced its SLK in early 1997, and Porsche went more upmarket, with the Boxster, which also debuted that year. Audi was a bit late with its TT in 1998, and suddenly all this competition made it clear that BMW had a real fight on its hands.
The SLK was far more luxurious inside than the Z3 and the TT was (and still is) one of the most cleverly and attractively designed cars of the era, with a machine-age interior and curvy, retro exterior.

When the 2003 Z4, an entirely new car from the ground up, with every element, save the motors, rethought and redefined. We mean that, by the way. It’s not just a new skin on the outside (we’ll get to that skin in a little bit). The Z4 has a 100% stiffer body; sits on a wider, longer wheelbase with a larger cabin; and features a redesigned rear suspension for much better feedback and handling.

Total all that up and you have a far better-handling car, one that lives up to those two key BMW traits of predictability and improving the driver’s skills — then goes well beyond them. This is a fast, fun car, one that for between $33,795 and $40,945 can make you feel like a hero every time you drive it but won’t punish you even on very long drives, a real rarity in the sports car world.

In contrast to the traditional fit of the Z4, the “skin” of the car is anything but traditional. “We didn’t want a retro thing,” Warming says. “Traditionally,” the young Dane notes, “you take a surface and make it look like it’s wrapped around something,” like a tight outfit over a muscular body.

We think the new language works pretty well. The only area that doesn’t seem fully baked to us is the nose, where a wide, low air intake gives the Z4 a semi-frown. And although this car continues the long BMW tradition of round headlamps, it hides them behind clear lenses, so for all intents and purposes they are no longer a part of the design but an afterthought.

As spaceship cool as the Z4 is on the outside, the same ideas are echoed in the interior. Before we go any further, we have to say that this is really important and sports car manufacturers should know this. We think the Honda S2000 has performance limits, but its greater failing is that the cabin is no more special than that of a Civic.

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And now we have the 2002 Z3. Its sawed-off looks haven’t changed much (though now they’re fully accepted). But the engine has jumped from the original 138-horsepower 1.9-liter four-cylinder to an available 225-horsepower 3.0-liter six-cylinder, reducing 0 to 60 mph acceleration performance from about 8 seconds to less than 6. As the last model of its generation, the original Z3 won’t get any better than this.

There are two Z3 Roadsters and one Coupe. Plus, there’s an M Roadster and an M Coupe. The 2.5i Roadster is least expensive by a bunch, at $31,300. The 3.0i stickers at $37,900; and the distinctive Coupe goes for $37,700. The three models use two engines, which were new in 2001.

The Coupe and 3.0i Roadster use a 225-horsepower 3.0-liter double overhead-cam inline-6, while the 2.5i Roadster uses a 184-horsepower 2.5-liter version of that smooth mill with variable-valve timing. A five-speed gearbox is standard (beefier with the 3.0), while a five-speed Steptronic (manually operated automatic) is optional.

Significant standard features on all models are BMW’s DSC (electronic stability program), vented front discs on four-wheel ABS, two-stage front airbags plus side airbags in the doors, a zero-maintenance battery, and Coded Driveaway Protection, an anti-theft system which prevents the car from being started without your key. 2.5i gets 16-inch wheels and leatherette upholstery (leather optional), with four-way power driver’s seat and two-way passenger seat.

Coupe and 3.0i come standard with 17-inch wheels, leather, four-way seats, an in-dash CD player and Harman Kardon audio system (optional on the 2.5i). Options include a power top or removable hardtop with heated rear window for the Roadsters; and, for all three models, heated seats and a six-disc player installed by BMW dealers. A Sport Package includes 17-inch cross spoke wheels and sport seats, plus brushed aluminum trim and a mesh front air intake.

In addition to the Z3s, BMW offers the M Coupe and M Roadster. Although these cars are in the M line with the five-seat M3 Coupe and Convertible, they’re actually more like Z3s, using the same basic bodywork. If 225 horsepower isn’t enough for you from the 3.0-liter Z3, the M is what you want, with a 3.2-liter engine producing a killer 315 horsepower. The Roadster sells for $45,990, including freight; the Coupe retails for $44,990.

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Powered by a 3.2-litre straight-six M power unit developing 343 horsepower (252 kW) and 269 lb ft (365 Nm) of torque, as used in the BMW M3, the Z4 M Coupe hits 60 mph in just 5 seconds, going on to a top speed of 155 mph (electronically limited). To halt the proceedings, The Z4 M Coupe is stopped by brakes taken from the M3 CSL.

As far as handling is concerned, the BMW Z4 M Coupe has a chassis with almost double the torsional rigidity of the previous Z3 M Coupe, which no doubt helped it in posting faster lap times than the Z4 M Roadster and the BMW M3 on the Nurburgring.

The Z4 M Coupe has entered a market with some pretty stiff competition, the Porsche Cayman S being one of the best sport coupes on the market. However the Z4 M Coupe, despite being 79 kg (176 lbs) heavier, develops almost 50 horsepower more, resulting in a higher power to weight ratio, and gets to 60 mph 0.2 seconds faster.

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Frankly, we were surprised at this grumbling. The basic Z3, with its four-cylinder engine, may not have been any faster than a Mazda Miata, but it was a delight to drive nonetheless and a runaway success in the showroom.

But if a perceived power shortage was the only thing that held you back during the Z3’s inaugural season, wait no more. As expected, BMW has added a six-cylinder version to the lineup for 1997 the Z3 2.8 and, also as expected, it adds serious go-power to this car’s long list of enticements.

From a competitive point of view, this development comes none too soon. Unlike last year, the Z3 faces some very direct and formidable new competitors in the Mercedes SLK the 1997 North American Car of the Year and the Porsche Boxster. But with the addition of 51 horsepower, plus a longer list of standard features and a price that’s lower than its Germanic rivals, we think the 2.8 version easily measures up to the challenge.

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A push-button start, 3-spoke aluminum hand-sewn leather-wrapped steering wheel, aluminum control knobs and body-colored glossy metallic instrument cluster and matching soft Nappa leather seating and surfaces are a perfect collection of textures and straightforward design.

Apart from the form, there is also much function. Standards include air conditioning, cruise control, leather upholstery, power steering, windows and door locks, heated power mirrors, remote keyless entry, heated power bucket seats, navigation system, cellular telephone, automatic day/night rearview mirror, analog clock, outside-temperature display and a power convertible soft-top. A removable aluminum hardtop is also included with every 2003 BMW Z8.

The sides are a throwback to vintage class. BMW side grills, teardrop mirrors and the elegant door handles are finished with chrome. The front is equally sexy with a twin kidney grille, integrated fog lamp and Xenon headlights.

This is a little car with a big engine: a V8 with 4,8-liters of displacement and 375hp, in fact. Combine that with 383 lb-ft of maximum torque and you have a car that will satisfy the greediest urge for sheer muscle.

The 5-speed Switchtronic automatic transmission gets the 2003 BMW Z8 from 0-60mph in just 5 seconds while advanced power management and physical control technology will make it an easy 5 seconds and make the most challenging cliff-top road route a breeze to negotiate.

The 2003 BMW Z8 has massive ventilated disc brakes with an advanced antilock system that will allow the 0-60 to be reversed in 2.5 seconds. Front and side airbags, roll bars and various advanced handling systems are also in place.

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