Comments on: Tuner gives BMW Z4 M roadster a carbon skin, cuts 400 lbs

By: sh.yoon

sh.yoon — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 10:04:03 +0000

Toy Yoda, your argument comparing the weight of cars from 1974 and of 2006 is unfounded. Yes, we do use lighter and more stronger materials than before, but you fail to mention that the fact that the cars of 2006 must incorporate mandatory safety features (airbags, catalytic converters) which were not in cars from thirty or so years ago. All of this adds extra weight, weight that cannot be removed.

By: az

az — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 01:57:50 +0000

Quandt family owns controlling share of BMW.

By: Toy Yoda

Toy Yoda — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 15:47:33 +0000

Is BMW a publicly traded company? If it is, I think your hopes for a light sport enthusiast car will be cut short. As long as shareholders pressure BMW into more profits BMW will be forced to cater to a much wider audience. The sports driving enthusiast is simply not that big of a market.

I mean, you see it already. Does BMW need to make sporty SUVs? Driving an Xx isn’t sporty at all. Yeah, the badge snobs will say it’s still the sportiest of the SUVs in the markat. What the heck is the point of that? I want an SUV with more utility for outdoor sports than a sporty utility vehicle.

I believe as companies gets larger they are forced to cater to more people and “dilute” their well defined original charter vision. I think it will happen to BMW if it hasn’t happened already. And I’m not afraid to admit itt, but the Evos and the WRX of today represent to me the spirit of what BMW was 30 years ago; a sport car you can drive daily, instead of a sport-luxury car you can drive daily. I know the badge snobs will flame me. Screw ‘em.

By: Cartman

Cartman — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 14:50:31 +0000

Toy Yoda I completely agree with you. I had an E36 M3 and to me that was the last model that didn’t feel bloated and crammed with too much technology. The trip computer with a lap timer and mpg readout was about as much technology as I really needed. When it came time to sell I looked at the E46 but the extra power seemed to be neutered with a lot of extra weight and techno junk I didn’t want or need (parking sensor thingies on the rear bumper for example). I’m not saying there isn’t a place for all that stuff in the 5 and 7 series but how about some more focused and proper sports cars for the enthusiasts. I think the new M coupe is a step in the right direction but they could certainly do more. I know there has been a management change in the M division and the new guy is supposedly quite focused on weight reduction, so it seems at least there is some awareness of the issue and perhaps a bright future ahead. BMW no doubt has the talent to do it right.

By: Toy Yoda

Toy Yoda — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 14:41:50 +0000

Who is saying the Z4 should be a pure race car? All we are saying is the Z4 feels heavy and can do with shaving off a couple of hundred pounds. Sure, the Z4 might be the lightest in it’s class, but that still doesn’t take away the fact that it just feels bloated, along with all those cars on your list.

To keep this in perspective, an Alfa Romeo spider from 1974 weighs about 50kgs less than a Z4. It’s actually quite impressive, but you would think with all the modern materials car mfg have today, they could have trimmed the weight of the Z4.

These guys need to figure out a way to make carbon fibre cheaper and pass on the weight savings to the customers… withouth the cost, of course.

By: El blog de Tuning » Blog Archive » BMW Z4 M Roadster a dieta

El blog de Tuning » Blog Archive » BMW Z4 M Roadster a dieta — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 12:57:05 +0000

[...] Vía Left Lane News. var staf_confirmtext = ‘Mail enviado’ #stafBlock { position: absolute !important; z-index: 100000; display: none; width: 300px; } #stafForm { background-color: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #c6c6c6; padding: 5px; margin:0; } #stafForm h2 { margin: 0; } #stafForm input, #stafForm label, #stafForm h2 { font-family: ‘Lucida Grande’, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif; font-size: 1em; color: #222222; } #stafForm input { width: 130px; height: 15px; margin-top: 5px; border: 1px solid #ccc; } #stafForm label { float: left; display: block; width: 150px; line-height: 20px; } #stafClose { float: right; margin-right: 5px; } x [...]

By: Hans

Hans — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 10:43:32 +0000

I agree with you, that a car, that is supposed to be driven fast should be as light as possible. But the Z4 is not supposed to be pure race car. And lets take a look at the competition. The Z4 is by far the lightest:

Z4 1,365 kg
SLK 350 1,465 kg
Boxster S 1,462kg
Nissan 350Z 1,520kg

By: Toy Yoda

Toy Yoda — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 07:23:43 +0000

Cartman.

You are right about BMWs being bloated. I have a 6er. I love the car, but I can’t help but feel the car is a bloated pig at times. There are a handful of SUVs lighter than my car. I could have gone with a 3 coupe, but the 3 coupe looks like a sedan missing 2 doors. The Z would be the lighter choice for people who prefer the looks of the 6er, but the Z is also a bloated pig for the size of the car.

People like to say these days that HP don’t matter, that it’s weight:hp ratio that counts. But, weight alone is probably the most underrated performance stat, and in many ways the most important stat. Brakes can make a cars go faster. You can’t hide weight.

By: manny

manny — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 03:22:55 +0000

they redid the entire body and it barely looks better… and its not like making it look better is hard…

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 01:01:04 +0000

#14: see #3…next time please look up the comments first.

By: VDub

VDub — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 23:08:27 +0000

price?

By: Cartman

Cartman — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 22:26:55 +0000

It does bring to the surface the rather obvious point that BMWs are generally overinflated and bloated pigs. This should be the standard M car not some tuner special. Make the materials slightly less exotic and shave off only half the weight and split the price difference. I’d be sold.

By: az

az — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 21:23:40 +0000

ugh, the profile shot looks terrible. The upper design line on the door interupts the look of the car. Too bad, the rest of the car looks fantastic.

By: aj

aj — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 18:50:53 +0000

Still a z4 with some horrible origami crease marks. Yoogly.

By: キコ

キコ — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 18:01:13 +0000

looks so sick however the exhaust looks so tiny

By: Toy Yoda

Toy Yoda — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 17:48:19 +0000

400 pounds less, wow. Begs the question, can a standard bmw skin really be that heavy?

By: Left Lane News

Left Lane News — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 17:43:51 +0000

That is *not* the same car. This one has a carbon body. That one just has performance upgrades and some weight savings.

By: zalew

zalew — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 17:17:03 +0000

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/9748/specialty-file-tc-kline-racing-bmw-z4-page2.html

here it is said it’s based on the z4 not the z4m. it’s a press release linked on tc kline website.

By: Hans

Hans — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 17:00:33 +0000

The car on the pictures hast the taillights of the Pre-Facelift Z4 Roadster, which wasn’t availible as an M. I think I saw those pictures before and i doubt they are from the M Roadster.

By: zalew

zalew — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 16:57:52 +0000

awful…. although it’s a very interesting project, how could they change the awesome z4 violin-like side-lines…

By: Renton

Renton — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 16:47:30 +0000

Drools…………..

I’ll bet it is an insane ride. The handling transitions must be lightning fast with all that weight gone.

The design is very sharp, not overdone. I do miss the ultra-cool Roundel side turn signals though. Put those back on.

By: Surya

Surya — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 16:25:24 +0000

Actually I just googled it….around 90k…steep…but damn nice!

By: Surya

Surya — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 16:22:38 +0000

*drool* I have been eyeing the Z4M for a while now. Anybody know if this is a USA available product and not an Europe special? Thanks.

By: Alphard

Alphard — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 16:16:21 +0000

looks clean…