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BMW has announced that it will unleash its hottest new Z4 yet at the Detroit show in January.
It isn't an M, but it isn't far off. The snappily named Z4 sDrive35is (that 's' at the end is the important new bit) gets BMW's 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six engine boosted up to 340bhp - 34bhp more than the previous most powerful Z4.
Which means it is fast. The new Z4 will crack 62mph in 4.8 seconds - down 0.3 seconds and exactly the same as the Porsche Boxster Spyder - with top speed limited to 155mph.
There's extra torque, too - up from 332lb ft to 369lb ft on overboost. BMW's seven-speed double-clutch gearbox is fitted as standard, mated to a launch control system.
Need more kit? How about lower suspension, a new sports exhaust and an M-Sport bodykit?
All of which, inevitably, comes at a price: just shy of £44,000, which puts it right on level pegging with that Boxster Spyder - though you do, admittedly, get a whole lot more equipment as standard in your Z4. Like, er, doorhandles. And a roof.
With no news on a Z4M arriving any time soon, this is the hottest Z4 we'll see for a while. It goes on sale in the UK next March: anyone tempted?
BMW Z4 gets hotter
Quicker version of BMW’s roadster arrives in the UK next year… but it’s not quite a Z4M
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Claiborn commented on this article
at 11:34 am on 15 December 2009
No, I don't run a hair-dressers.
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spud1 commented on this article
at 12:04 pm on 15 December 2009
I have always liked the Z4's, one of the few drop tops a man can drive...
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rustymx5 commented on this article
at 12:36 pm on 15 December 2009
I don't think think we'll see an M-Z4, £44k is already dangerously close to M3 territory...
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RealMan commented on this article
at 01:27 pm on 15 December 2009
Claiborn, Get your facts right please. Z4 is not for hair dressers or men who love men. It is for Real men, a proper drivers car. It is for a woman who has a heart. It is for everyone who does not have a faint heart. Z4 is a proper roadster out there. Performance and the way it delivers it is epic and imcomparable. The styling is distinct, delightful but frightening if you see it in the rearview mirror. BMWs are proper drivers'materials. On forecourt and on paper there are contenders to BMWs but on the road - pound-for-pound nothing comes close. Cant wait for the Z4M. My wife has the current Z4M and we cant wait for the new one.Hurry! BM
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Robert4 commented on this article
at 03:25 pm on 15 December 2009
Beauty and fast doesn't work. one or the other, just like with the Alfa 8C.
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