Smit Oletha: The $450k Z8 Coupe BMW never made | Top Gear

[cncmastr]

I'm really digging this!

[Cos270]

I remember being incredibly impressed just reading the details about this when it was announced. Glad to see it lived up to expectations. Absolutely staggering.

[Bumpinjeep]

So are we going to rehash old threads and put them on the main page?
https://g80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1860748

[Cos270]

Originally Posted by Bumpinjeep

So are we going to rehash old threads and put them on the main page?
https://g80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1860748

There was nothing stopping you from adding the video to the older thread...

[ignac007]

Originally Posted by Pinkoboe

So where in California is this beautiful magical road where the video was shot? I need to visit it ASAP!

And that car!

Originally Posted by Pinkoboe

So where in California is this beautiful magical road where the video was shot? I need to visit it ASAP!

And that car!

Palomar Mountain in San Diego County! That particular section with all the drone shots is going up East Grade Rd. Beautiful drive coming down that way too.

[FrankMstein]

I hope it shows up at the Invasion in Orlando, it had a Floriduh tag on it.

[Pinkoboe]

Originally Posted by FrankMstein

I hope it shows up at the Invasion in Orlando, it had a Floriduh tag on it.

The Florida registration is likely the result of this thing not being able to pass California emissions testing.

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by chris719

No one bought BMWs sports cars. They had to nearly give away Z4Ms, and it was actually pretty good. It's hard to fault them for chasing the money. I would like them to do both, however.

My biggest problem with the Z4 was the existence of the boxster
I can't imagine anyone in their right mind choosing a Z4 OVER a boxster

[kmarei]

In my humble opinion, the best engine BMW has ever made was not a straight 6
It was the S65 V8
Such an amazing engine
I wish they had used it in different cars

[KoenG]

Originally Posted by chris719

No one bought BMWs sports cars. They had to nearly give away Z4Ms, and it was actually pretty good. It's hard to fault them for chasing the money. I would like them to do both, however.

I seem to have missed that episode where they nearly gave it away, at least here in Europe. The E85 was, certainly back then, such a marvellous machine!

I keep wondering what would happen, when they just would have the nerve to build a successor to the M1. Use the technology of the G8x and put it in a bespoke leightweight and stiff carbon chassis. Wouldn't this inject again a lot of enthousiasm for the brand?

When I hear my teenage kids ravving about Audi R8 (still after all these years), Mercedes AMG GT as superlatives to anything BMW currently offers, I'am pretty certain the business case makes sense. Maybe not in direct revenues, but most certainly via indirect revenues.

BMW has the best vantage point for doing this: direct on purpose and direct in line with the heritage. And a lot of the constituents are already there. Why not?

[AlexFL]

Originally Posted by KoenG

A splendid car that most BMW fans can appreciate. Nevertheless, the XM dystopic monster truck will become the new halo car. Such a shame BMW has lost its ways and denies its own core values.

It will be XM vs Escalade-V or Godzilla vs. King Kong.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by KoenG

I seem to have missed that episode where they nearly gave it away, at least here in Europe. The E85 was, certainly back then, such a marvellous machine!

I got $15k off on mine. It sat for almost an entire year in the showroom. The battery had to be replaced before delivery.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by kmarei

My biggest problem with the Z4 was the existence of the boxster
I can't imagine anyone in their right mind choosing a Z4 OVER a boxster

I personally think the S54 is a better engine than the M97 (987.1 and earlier) and probably equal to the first 9A1 in the 987.2. You're right though that the Boxster is better in most other ways.

The entire segment is on life support at this point, though.

[KoenG]

Originally Posted by chris719

I got $15k off on mine. It sat for almost an entire year in the showroom. The battery had to be replaced before delivery.

That's a real bargain!

For that amount of cash, you couldn't get any better. I drove the Z4M on Francorchamps in 2007 (when I'am not mistaken) for a few laps after I did the same with the Ferrari 360. To my recollection, the BMW was the better overal car and the one that I desired most.

[Tallest]

It feels a little bit like lost opportunity. as former Z4 Coupe owner I prefer the original much more. Z8 body parts dont scale too well. I did like the extension of the rear deck into a teardrop, but that should have been done respecting original car's styling perhaps more. Front looked great on it.

BMW rebodied a Z4 themselves if people don't know.. And it was bloody amazing.

The whole thing is going back to the 328 Mille Miglia coupe, with Z4 taking some cues on it, and then Mille Miglia concept furhter grafting an amazing teardrop body on top of the Z4 platform. They also looked like straight piped the car so when you hear it drive it sounds better still than anything BMW has.

Just my opinion of course. Great that couple of guys get to build their vision of perfect car, just hope they dont butcher the original Z4s too much, a great car in its own right.

[Efthreeoh]

For about the $424,000 less that I paid for my Z4 3.0si Coupe, I'll pass on the 200 additional HP that the S65 provides, which probably changes the balance of the car to an extreme. Both the S54 and N52 sound great in the stock Coupe versions. And I think the Zed4 just looks better. You can get the ultra-stiff chassis, with more than enough power to get jailed in stock form. Oh, and run the piss out of it; the drive a slower car fast is more fun thing...

[Ryan13]

Realize this isn’t a Z8 coupe thread necessarily, but for posterity, there were actually 3 x Z8 coupes produced. One remains floating somewhere in the world.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by kmarei

My biggest problem with the Z4 was the existence of the boxster
I can't imagine anyone in their right mind choosing a Z4 OVER a boxster

I know this is an old post, but I did exactly that, chose the E86 Z4 over the Cayman. Test drove the Cayman came away unimpressed especially with the possibility of the IMS bearing smoking up.

I should have made this comment back in January...

[JacobG]

Wooow

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I know this is an old post, but I did exactly that, chose the E86 Z4 over the Cayman. Test drove the Cayman came away unimpressed especially with the possibility of the IMS bearing smoking up.

I should have made this comment back in January...

You would have been correct in January
But in April, you're totally wrong


Yeah I don't know about the IMS bearing, but I mean just driving pleasure, boxster runs rings around a Z4
Mid engine might have something to do with it

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by kmarei

You would have been correct in January
But in April, you're totally wrong


Yeah I don't know about the IMS bearing, but I mean just driving pleasure, boxster runs rings around a Z4
Mid engine might have something to do with it

Perhaps the roadster versions of each chassis is different and the Coupe versions, but when I test drove a '08 Cayman prior to switching to a E86 (late 2014) I was really looking forward to the magic handling of a mid-engine'd car. I just never felt it to be honest. I left thinking, "what is the big deal?"

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Perhaps the roadster versions of each chassis is different and the Coupe versions, but when I test drove a '08 Cayman prior to switching to a E86 (late 2014) I was really looking forward to the magic handling of a mid-engine'd car. I just never felt it to be honest. I left thinking, "what is the big deal?"

Yeah I meant boxster vs z4 Cabrio
Never driven a cayman