Cayman Killer?? Bmw Z4M

[cashflyer]

It's new to me, and I hope it's new here also.

I was speaking to an employee of BMW manufacturing here in SC this week, and he mentioned the following:

Z4M coupe is coming, and plant rumor is that it will be powered by the same V8 going into the next M3 cars. Being called a "Cayman Killer".

Also, V8 M3 cars have recently been undergoing some road testing at Deals Gap according to killboy.com.

[wludavid]

The V8 M3 is all but officially announced by BMW AG. The Z4M roadster has been announced but will probably start with an uprated S54, which is the inline-6 that it's in the current M3. Probably around 343 hp. Since it'll likely be hovering around 3000 lbs, it'll be very fast indeed.

The MZ3 roadster and coupe both started with the old version of the m3 engine and moved to the newer one through its life cycle, so there's plenty of reason to believe that the M3 V8 will go into it eventually. Plus, Alpina (among others) have built one-off Z4s with M5 motors installed. So we know it's possible.

[s_wilwerding]

It is much, much uglier than the Cayman, IMHO.

[tc-sacto]

Love the power, but if it looks anything like the M coupe. eewe. That things was just Gawd-auwful ugly... Like a 1970's Gremlin.

[MichiganMat]

If theres anything to be learned from this weeks TopGear its that horsepower does not always translate into speed. Of the three cars tested this week, (M6, 997, Aston V8) the most underpowered and least priced of them, the 997, trounced the others by 6 seconds on their course.

BMW can put whatever they want under the hood, it doesn't mean it be fast.

[wludavid]

Originally posted by MichiganMat
If theres anything to be learned from this weeks TopGear its that horsepower does not always translate into speed. Of the three cars tested this week, (M6, 997, Aston V8) the most underpowered and least priced of them, the 997, trounced the others by 6 seconds on their course.

BMW can put whatever they want under the hood, it doesn't mean it be fast.

Are you arguing that BMW M-cars aren't fast?

[RKC]

It is fast. But it's ugly. I'll pass.

[wludavid]

Well, there are two issues here. First, only the MZ4 roadster has been announced. That will probably look just like the regular Z4 with a different front airdam and wider rear fenders.

The MZ4 coupe has not been announced (I don't think) and so any photos you see are either photoshops or spy shots.

[scottmandue]

Originally posted by MichiganMat
If theres anything to be learned from this weeks TopGear its that horsepower does not always translate into speed. Of the three cars tested this week, (M6, 997, Aston V8) the most underpowered and least priced of them, the 997, trounced the others by 6 seconds on their course.

BMW can put whatever they want under the hood, it doesn't mean it be fast.

I agree, the BMW will be fast but how will the track times be compared to the Cayman?

The new Corvettes are fast too... but...

[cashflyer]

I remember him mentioning that they are letting reporters into the plant this week and allowing some video to be taken - something they normally do not do. He said they are allowing it because there is no production right now due to some retooling going on. He mentioned that the body lines on the cars are going to be "softened".

Maybe this is part of the introduction of the Z4M... a little streamlining, a little more hp, etc

[cashflyer]

Originally posted by s_wilwerding

Is that a Zagato-esque "double bubble" roofline?

[creaturecat]

could they make that thing any uglier?

[nostatic]

Originally posted by creaturecat
could they make that thing any uglier?

Never underestimate Bangle...

[cowtown]

Competition is good. I actually like how it looks, but then I liked the old "bread truck" Z3 coupe too.

And sure HP doesn't mean it's fast on the track, but on the street, where I spend 99% of my driving time...HP is fun.

[Tervuren]

If it wheren't for the side BMW badge being distractingly placed, I'd love the looks of the Z4 coupe from pictures. Great looking car, but that darn circle interrupts the flow. I never noticed it on the roadster, but as a coupe, its very distracting.

What makes most Ferrari's and Porsche's so darn gorgeous, is they don't have any distracting feature, they just plain look good. Now some Porsche do, but they pull it off.

[Sonic dB]

That POS will be the ugliest car on the road. Who is designing style for BMW these days?

Automobile magazine has a feature on the prototype in this months issue.

[Shuie]

OMG thats hideous!

[wludavid]

It's a photoshop people!

[Tervuren]

The Z4 coupe is not a photoshop, its real.

[kaisen]

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
I doubt that this car will be in the same price range as the Cayman. It will probably be priced at the 997 level, I would guess. That would make it compete more with the 911 than the Cayman.

-Wayne

The current M3 (about $55K) isn't anywhere near 997 pricing (about $75K). They don't expect the next M3 V8 to be significantly more expensive than the current. The Z4 is pretty cheap (generally well under $50K), cheaper than a Boxster S (generally over $60K). The old M-Roadster and M-Coupe were less expensive than the M3 Coupe or Convertible. That leads me to believe the Z4M will be priced pretty near the Cayman, if not less. I'll bet BMW keeps the Z4M Coupe under $60K.

That isn't to say the Z4M won't be ugly or slow, that remains to be seen. I've driven both the new Boxster (base and S) and the new Z4 in 3.0i guise. The Boxster was way faster and more enjoyable. The Cayman promises even more. The Z4M will have to be pretty special to compete. But it should be price competitive.

The BMW Z cars are built right here in the United States. With the dollar to euro, it is more cost effective for BMW than Porsche. The Cayman will be a 'better' car, just as the Boxster is a 'better' car than the Z4.

E