Cars

BMW Z4

The Z4, the heir of the open-top sports car following the Z3, debuted at the 2002 Paris Motor Show. The original engine line-up included 2.5L and 3L inline six-cylinder engines, marking a clear step up in class from the Z3 that started with only a four-cylinder engine.

The styling strongly reflects the individuality of the chief designer Chris Bangle, with its elegant fender lines and a Z-shaped fender line immediately in front of the side door as its major features.
Because the chassis and body was newly developed from its platform, the weight distribution has been made an ideal value of 50.3 to 49.7. One surprise is the almost 3-fold increase in torsional stiffness over the Z3 while still reducing weight by 25 kg.

The suspension consists of struts at the front and a multi-link layout at the rear, and although the basic form was inherited from the 3-series of the time (E46), it is said that this was done because testing had already been completed and would allow for smooth advancement in the development. Furthermore, this is the first BMW to fully introduce the BMW’s first electronic power steering, DTC traction control assistance, and DDC which allows the feel of the steering and throttle to be switched between sports driving and normal driving. The transmission is also available in the three varieties of manual, automatic, and a semi-automatic called SMG.

The Z4 is manufactured at the same Spartanburg factory in South Carolina of the United States, as was the Z3.