Customers purchasing the Z4 3.0si Coupe can also benefit from BMW's Service Inclusive pre-paid servicing packages. Owners can select from a three-year / 36,000 miles or five-year / 60,000 mile Service package that covers the cost of all service items, from UK Pounds 430. 'Service and Maintenance' coverage can also be purchased for the same periods. In addition to the Service package, this covers costs associated with replacement brake pads, brake discs, brake sensors, brake fluid, clutch assembly (if worn) and wiper blade rubbers. This level of cover starts at UK Pounds 720.


A niche market for exclusive customers

The new BMW Z4 is sure to have a wide emotional appeal for both sports car and BMW fans. But with only two seats, the car is unlikely to be on the shopping list of the majority of car buyers. It is, quite naturally, a niche model and will be an exclusive sight on British roads. As a result, BMW UK expects to sell approximately 1,000 Z4 Coupes in 2006, of which approximately 200 are expected to be the high-performance M variant.

The typical buyer of the Z4 3.0si and M Coupes will be male, married and aged between 35 and 45 years. Irrespective of these expectations, the owner of a Z4 Coupe will be a driving enthusiast who enjoys the thrill of driving exclusive, high-performance sports cars.

"Most cars in the sporting coupe sector try to be a jack of all trades... and end up being the master of none,' said Jim O'Donnell, Managing Director of BMW (UK) Ltd. "The Z4 Coupe is different - it is a focused sports car aimed fairly and squarely at drivers who love driving."

The Z4 M Coupe, in particular, is an unashamed performance car as much at home on the race track as it is on the road," he continued. "This is not a car trying to be all things to all men."


Limited history

Very few roadster-based Coupes have been produced in BMW's history. Each car that has made it to production has been produced in very small numbers. The first, the 1940 BMW 328 Mille Miglia Coupe, is arguably BMWs most exclusive car with only two examples ever built, and both of these were for racing. The open-topped 328 was a limited production, high-performance sports car that was adapted for racing. Clothed in aluminium, each racing Coupe weighed less than 650kgs and developed 135bhp at 5,500rpm from the two-litre engine. This made the cars capable of speeds exceeding 130mph - a speed many modern day two-litre cars struggle to attain.  

Nearly 60 years passed before a car adopting the same principle arrived for a wider audience in the form of the BMW Z3 Coupe. The Z3 Roadster evolved into a coupe in 1998 and was launched in the UK with BMW M's 321hp powerplant. Many European markets offered 2.8i and 3.0i derivatives but, in the UK, M models satisfied purists' requirements. Combining an engine that delivered over 100bhp per litre with a very rigid yet compliant chassis, the Z3 M Coupe was considered an out-and-out driver's car. Its rarity and unusual styling gave it a unique place in the hearts' of sports car aficionados. It was a car many considered to be for those 'in the know'. In total, 17,815 cars were built before it ceased production in 2002.


BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia

The BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia connects the success of the 1940 328 Mille Miglia Coupe with the new Z4 Coupe. Unveiled prior to the 2006 Mille Miglia, the concept took pride of place as the entrants were scrutineered before to the event in Brescia, Italy on May 10 2006. 

While the styling unashamedly looks to the past, the modern, multi-award winning BMW six-cylinder engine from the Z4 M Coupe powered the car. Modifications were made to the inlet and exhaust systems of the 343 hp unit to give the concept car more of a 'racing' sound at both idle and full throttle.

The concept car's hinged hardtop roof was a reference to the relaxation of the racing car rules when closed vehicles became eligible to race. Similarly, the new Z4 Coupe is derived from the Z4 Roadster soft-top.

previous page | go to page 6