(Updated) Spy photographers have snapped photos of a new BMW roadster in testing on public roads in Munich. After some debate, the general consensus in the spy community now is that this vehicle is the forthcoming Z9 — a successor to the BMW Z8 and a competitor to the Mercedes SL-Class.
Originally thought to be the next-generation Z4, closer inspection suggests that this could be BMW’s SL-fighter. This prototype is clearly larger than today’s Z4, but that also supports earlier reports that the next-gen Z4 would be growing up a bit to make room for an entry-level Z2 roadster.
The most noteworthy details on this prototype are the side windows–a glass-to-glass like that of the Mercedes SL. Is that enough of a clue to prove this is the Z9? Quite possibly, especially when taking into account the slim, sleek convertible roof that appears to be a fake canvas top glued to a retractable hard roof that’s hidden beneath. Consider that the Z9 is aimed squarely at the tin-topped SL, and is reportedly similarly equipped, and the clues further point to this as the Z9. Gallery after the jump…



01/11, 12:13 PM
posted by:
Andre Neves
Some heavy Cammo there. What’s up with the wierd indentation along the side.
Kinda reminds me the Z1
01/11, 12:16 PM
posted by:
buenos
Hey.. now we know where the Pontiac cladding team went… they’re doing cammo for BMW.
01/11, 12:22 PM
posted by:
GMnumberone4ever
I hope BMW knows what their up against the Solstice and Sky roadsters with this and history has shown that while GM quality and reliability is top notch, these BMW’s leave a lot to be desired. And as usual it’s ugly as sin.
It looks like it may be targeted at the more feminine, gay roadsters like the S2000, Boxster and Miata though, not so much the Kappa wonders.
01/11, 12:31 PM
posted by:
JRB82
Wait, you think the S2000, Boxster and MX-5 are “gay roadsters?” Do you have a driver’s license or did your dad tell you to say that?
01/11, 12:32 PM
posted by:
Andre Neves
GMnumberone4ever,
This is a place for grownups, who let you in?
01/11, 12:33 PM
posted by:
oddglat
Wait, you think the S2000, Boxster and MX-5 are “gay roadsters?” Do you have a driver’s license or did your dad tell you to say that?
JRB82
I guess you are a deep south hick who go around hunting gays with pitchforks, go back to having sex with your sister redneck
01/11, 12:34 PM
posted by:
Madcapp
That’s obviously a 6 cylinder Buick. Look at the ventiports on the front fender.
01/11, 12:34 PM
posted by:
bousbous55
Z4’s are sexy. Can’t wait to see 1 in person, BMW’s are all about the experience of driving, its not just a vehicle to get you from point A to point B unlike GM, it about the experience of driving. When was the last time you got into a G6 and took of driving on curvy roads? NEVER. My wife has a mini that we take out on spirited driving, its the most awesome feeling there is, you can never explain it to someone that drives a boring G6
01/11, 12:38 PM
posted by:
bousbous55
Now behave people don’t make Gm4numberone4ever go hug his G6 and tell it its gonna be ok … LOL
01/11, 12:40 PM
posted by:
oddglat
sorry correction JRB82 that comment was aimed at GMnumberone4ever.
01/11, 12:59 PM
posted by:
GMnumberone4ever
Oh puleeeze, tell you’ve seen dudes driving around in one of those pieces of crap. Please, I am all ears. Z roadsters are queer, and who is their competitors? Right, the S2000, the Porsche Boxster and Nissan 350Z, all chick cars. And the Miata leads the pack!
All the real men I see driving around in Michigan, as well as sunshine states like California, Florida and Texas are driving Pontiac Solstices and Saturn Skys. Real men wouldn’t be caught dead driving a girly car for fear of being laughed at and knowing that my buds in their Solstices would lay the smack down on them faster than they can say GO! And this new high maintainence, unreliable POS is no different.
01/11, 1:02 PM
posted by:
hockeygod1331
Everyone posting responses to GMnumberone4ever..
if you just read his comments like he was Steven Colbert the stuff he says is hilarious. GMnumberone4ever never even breaks character as the hyper GM poster, same with Colbert’s hyper republican character.
01/11, 1:05 PM
posted by:
Andre Neves
^It’s not our fault your insecure with your masculinity.
01/11, 1:05 PM
posted by:
hockeygod1331
And a follow up to his last comment, the Saturn Sky was has officially generated the most interest from gay people.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/7/prweb409775.htm
01/11, 1:05 PM
posted by:
Andre Neves
hockey, that wasn’t aimed at you.
01/11, 1:06 PM
posted by:
bousbous55
gmnumerone4ver…I bet you would like to “smack” those guys who drive the “non-american” cars. We all know what you are really about.
01/11, 1:06 PM
posted by:
Andre Neves
lol @ hockeygod1331
01/11, 1:08 PM
posted by:
Breok
Wasn’t everyone just saying how BMW was getting too many models? I hope the side markings are only part of the camo, that’s the ugliest part about it. In any case, if the s2000, mx-5 and boxter are gay roadsters, then so is the sky and solstice… and the SSR for that matter. Plus everyone I see driving the G6 are girls. Kind of like how girls always drove the pontiac sunfire, but guys would only be forced into the disgrace of the chevy cavalier, but no lower. I heard GMn14e tell some guy in the walmart parking lot that he traded in his teal pontiac sunfire for his new G6. In so doing, he almost acquired a date with the salesman, who made certain assumptions.
01/11, 1:11 PM
posted by:
Breok
hockeygod affirms: i am now able to claim that the G6 is also a gay’s car, ranking at #9!!
01/11, 1:12 PM
posted by:
Endurancevm
Personally I’m not a big fan of the Z roadsters, and I would personally get a Boxster(no matter how gay or girly it is, because its not). Yes a Sky Roadster is beautiful but it isn’t exactly fast( and neither is the Redline/GXP because with a P/W ratio of better than an Evo, its alot slower). In conclusion, Boxster > Z4.
01/11, 1:14 PM
posted by:
buenos
I promised myself that I wouldn’t respond to gmblahblahblah’s comments, but I just can’t help it. If Z4, etc., are gay cars, and miatas are girly cars, given the fact that you drive a G6, wouldn’t that make it an asshole car? Oh.. and though my car has never actually expressed a sexual orientation, I have a sneaking suspicion it might be bi.
01/11, 1:16 PM
posted by:
Breok
Good point buenos, I think my car may be a eunich… i’ve never seen it try to reproduce, though i’ve wished it would many times.
01/11, 1:20 PM
posted by:
hockeygod1331
As posted above, this is the official press list of cars that have generated the most interest from gay people at gaywheels.com
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/7/prweb409775.htm
You can check there for which cars made the list
01/11, 1:20 PM
posted by:
buenos
Breok.. based on the commercials, I think only VW Rabbits do that.
01/11, 1:23 PM
posted by:
XeroBlue
I heard BMW has announced it will produce a Z2 not a Z5 or Z6. Reason being they dont want the z5 orz6 being confused w/ being related to the 5 or 6 and they dont feel having the Z2 Z4 and Z5/6/7 or what ever would be to closely related for sales. They are wanting to take the Z4 back to its roots of being a pure open top roadster. Shorter in length, cheaper in price. They want that market. As far as an SL competitor i thought they tried that w/ the 6 conv. Because that WAS the target. And it failed. Only time will tell. Before im finished. Anyone who says “history has shown that while GM quality and reliability is top notch” in the same sentence. IS a complete koolaid drinking fool. STOP DRINKING THE KOOLAID! They are improving yes, however top notch? Compared to a yugo perhaps. Be realistic ppl.
01/11, 1:28 PM
posted by:
bousbous55
Its sad that the G6 doesn’t even make it to the top of the gay list. Now thats bad !
01/11, 1:30 PM
posted by:
XeroBlue
I have to comment on devilsadvocate. Your kidding rite? I smell a country bumpkin online. BMW had the split kidney grill since day one. Nascar, what a crappy ass sport that is. Watching cars go in a circle for 500 laps. You have to be DRUNK or out of your mind to watch that. And ppl dont drive in a oval like that in real live thus the twists and turns of Nürburging as you put it, gives the engineers the data they need to produce the best handling cars in the world. Something that American AND Japanese automakers are only NOW finding out. Dont hate!
01/11, 1:38 PM
posted by:
deutschetouring1337
I agree Nascar is kinda boring but Xero, the S2000 was developed on the Nurburg. Tire manufactuers have been there for years everyone major tier1 and 2 automaker has a paddock there.
01/11, 1:50 PM
posted by:
GMnumberone4ever
Don’t knock Nascar bub, it has its place. Nürburging was the testing grounds for the new Cadillac CTS so it is just becoming a worthwhile testing ground. Before that, GM dominated using technologies and lessons learned from Nascar and it has really paid off for them. Don;t think so? Look around you, if we didn’t have Nascar, we wouldn’t be driving Impalas, GrandPrixs and Monte Carlos, we’d still be driving import **** like Accords and Camrys and Nissans. Lucky enough for us, those things are on their way out and new cars like the Saturn Aura, the Pontiac G6 and the Chevrolet Malibu are dominating the landscape in their place, thanks to the lessons learned from Nascar. With more and more interaction from GM, I agree that Nürburging is becoming much more respected and more and more automakers will be looking over GM’s shoulders for secrets on how to be as successful.
One thing that the Japanese and Germans will fail with though is reliability and their quality, something that neither the Nürburging or the Michigan International Speedway can teach. So this new Z4, Z6 or Zwhatthefuk is just another example of failure in a whole line of failures. Until they take a page out of GM’s winning playbook from the Kappa twins, BMW will continue to play catchup with the rest of the girlie rides.
01/11, 1:57 PM
posted by:
XeroBlue
I know, GM has been testing the new CTS, and corevette there along w/ other models im sure. Toyota, and Infiniti are now testing there. And im sure others are too. There is something about that track that gives a great deal of data to the engineers. Cars tuned there perform wonderfully. I dislike American cars in general. However i give credit when credit is due. The new CTS looks great and i look forward to see how it performs in the real world.
01/11, 2:03 PM
posted by:
bousbous55
LOL GMYADAYADAYADA as dumb as you are I am surprised that you can type let alone spell. Are you cheating? you must be one greasy beer gutted shirtless toothless redneck trailer trash….
01/11, 2:03 PM
posted by:
oddglat
THE NEW CTS looks like a school project next to the beautiful 2007 G35
01/11, 2:05 PM
posted by:
edgarp
I seriously don’t see why everyone gets upset over GMnuberone4ever’s comments. It’s obvious that he’s just messing with you all. after all, have you ever seen a guy drive a solstice?
and everyone knows about the issues that the Kappa redlines have been having. Come on people, he’s just messing with your heads.
I mean, he’s inherently saying that the Impala is a superior product to what comes out of Germany. Come on people.
01/11, 2:07 PM
posted by:
XeroBlue
Thats funny you mentioned the CTS i wrote that previous response before i saw yours GMnumberone4ever. Your obviously bias and i dont have a problem w/ that. You obviously drink alot of Koolaid. id take an Accord or Camry over an impala or monte carlo any day of the week. Numbers talk, and accord and camry are number one and number two in terms of units sold. Something you also might not like to hear. GM, Ford and Chrysler sell a HUGE amount of those cars to rental fleets that they count as units sold. That messed up number STILL does not come close to accord and camry. Also Honda does NOT sell any of thier cars to rental fleets. They feel it degrades the model. Which i agree. The big american three have pogoed in and out of finacial crisis for a better half of the decade now. Due to ****ty products released. Toyota is now number one, and to make things worse for your case import sales have now for the first time exceeded domestic for total USA auto sales. Stop drinkin the Koolaid and look at the facts.
01/11, 2:07 PM
posted by:
calisto
Since GM is the end all car company in the world for you, then why are they loosing billions yearly? And why is Toyota gaining sales yearly and why are they poised to take over GM at the top of the global sales list? I agree that GM is making vast strides in its cars as of late, but they are still behind the competition. If you can answer the above questions and not sound like a compleate moron then I will shut up.
01/11, 2:18 PM
posted by:
XeroBlue
I KNOW HUH! Sing it sister!
01/11, 2:41 PM
posted by:
YourNameHere
guys, ignore GMnumberone…he was here before and he left after everyone just ignored him for a few days. im sure he is so fat single guy and this is his only way to interact with humans with out needing a forklift and removing a wall from his house. he is like a bumble bee…ignore him and he will go away.
01/11, 2:50 PM
posted by:
XeroBlue
Oh my gawd. LOL Do we really know he is fat? *scratches head* …perhaps thats why he is attached to GM. They are one of the few companies left to make full sized vans. And lets be honest. Toyota cant compete w/ big American vans such as the Chevy Express. LOL i had to go to GM.com cause ive never looked for a van before. I kill me.
01/11, 2:52 PM
posted by:
YourNameHere
does the Express come in 3/4ton? cause i dont think any normal van can hold him…
01/11, 3:11 PM
posted by:
oddglat
lol the tundra’s 10,000lb towing capability Can haul his GM loving ass of the computer!
01/11, 3:13 PM
posted by:
XeroBlue
America is to fat “Thats why you need hemmy’s so you can take your fat family up the hill to KFC so you can re-load” ROFLMAO…. Get in the car, watch it tilt and see the shocks sweat.
01/11, 3:16 PM
posted by:
oddglat
my mistake 10,800lb!
01/11, 3:29 PM
posted by:
leviathan18
yes they guys is a troll and troll dies when you ignore them…
01/11, 4:33 PM
posted by:
bb_454
I forgot what this page was all about now, oh yea a BMW! From what I saw it looks cool, funky camo. GM#1 cracks me up, just wish he didn’t try to make every GM fan and Michigan resident look like an idiot. And did anyone notice the Caliber on the list at like number four? I thought it was supposed to be the anti-gay car? lol
01/11, 4:35 PM
posted by:
LamborghiniZ
yeah gmwhtaeveblahblah is a total ****head, i be he’s gmrules for all of you that were here when gmrules tainted this site for a few weeks
01/11, 4:41 PM
posted by:
bb_454
He has to have more than one alias so it looks like more people share his opinions.
01/11, 4:44 PM
posted by:
doublearon21
Man oh man, GM#1…… at first I couldn’t stand your post, now I just laugh my ass off everytime. Thank you for adding comic relief to this forum…..BMW worry about the Kappa twins…lolololololololololololololol.
01/11, 5:01 PM
posted by:
kmoney9999
Im not seeing anything special about this. It appears to have the same wheelbase and cabin size as the Z4, not to mention everything is the same proportions and look the same. I dont think theres a 4.8 V8 5.0 V10 (guessing as to what engine it would be) under there. As far as I can see, its just a refreshed or redesigned Z4, the latter being the more likely.
01/11, 5:45 PM
posted by:
TOZO
It’s the next Fisker up there. Done with the Z8 & 6-series, now the Z4.
01/12, 5:23 AM
posted by:
Saud
Glad to see it’s a soft top. Oh & Mblommel stop being such a fanboy.
01/12, 5:24 AM
posted by:
Saud
Whoops my bad it has a hard top… nuts.
01/12, 5:27 AM
posted by:
Saud
GMnumberone4ever you numbnut the S2000 wipes the floor with the sky & solstice.
01/12, 6:19 AM
posted by:
55amg
looks great! maybe chris bangle didnt design too much of this car. definately looks better than the “gay roadsters” like the sky & solstice. lol this thing will just laugh at the stupid GM build quality and engineering. dont even compare man. hey is saw another dumbass that says pontiac is better than BMW. is gmrules multiplying?
01/12, 9:40 AM
posted by:
GMnumberone4ever
So it’s Z9 now huh? Well if it’s a replacment for the Z8 then expect a pricetag somewhere in the 150 – 200 thousand dollar range. Follow that up with one of the most unreliable nameplates on the planet, coupled with the cheap, fisher price build quality and miserable service. You’ll be on a first name basis with your local tow truck company as you will be relying on him to get around.
Man, I saw a Z4 last night that burned to the ground CrispyCreme donut shop I visit on my way home from work. Guy told me that he turned the key and the hood blew right off the front of the car and immediately sparked a huge fire. Once he was done giving the police report and the insurance adjuster was through, I gave him a ride home in my G6. He was so impressed it was all he was talking about the whole ride home. He was going on and on about how nice the materials were and how the impeccable build quality was 1 million times better than his cheapass BMW. he even had his wife come out and look at my car and she was so impressed with the car, she said she wouldn’t mind having one for herself instead of the Toyota Camry that she usually drove. I don’t blame her, if I had a miserable unreliable POS like a Camry, i’d want out of it fast as well!
And to get back on topic, I really think this car is going to have a hard time being mentioned in the same breath as the Kappa cars. Unless you are a chick, you’ll have no appreciation for it
01/12, 10:13 AM
posted by:
Jazz
Soo It looks like GM#1forever has gotten rid of his Cobalt.
Man I was talking to my friend and her dad works at a GM plant. He would always tell stories about how he came home with a pocketful of bolts and screws
that were not placed on a car
I was talking to a guy that makes the seats for Chevy/GMC Trucks. He started tellimg me about how people could be drop dead drunk while assembling the seats and the the company reps could do nothing about it
I was talking to a guy that bought a WS Trans Am. Had a automatic tranny that had been replaced 4 times in the first year.
I was talking to a guy…..
01/12, 10:33 AM
posted by:
GMnumberone4ever
Never had a Cobalt. Nice cars though, infinitly better than some POS Civic or Mazda3. If you read, you’ll find that it is a musclecar next to those weezing hampster wheels. Interior is equal if not better and reliability of the Chevrolet trumps the Honda and Mazda by a landslide. Drive one sometime, they are amazing vehicles in their class.
01/12, 12:15 PM
posted by:
XeroBlue
GMnumberone4ever. What you type is so ludicrous you must be trying to make us all laugh, and you have succeeded! Very funny. To think GM actually better than BMW or a toyota even. What a ripping good yarn. Drink some more koolaid.
01/12, 1:03 PM
posted by:
GMnumberone4ever
FU if you don’t want to listne to me. I don’t pick up Lexass guys either, every time I see a broken down Lexass or Toyota (which I see about 20 per day) I just wave and laugh for being dumbasses. Luckily they are starting to be quite rare here in Michigan as everyone is slowly turning them over for GM products.