There’s something special about a two-seat, rear-wheel-drive roadster. No back seats to justify, no compromise — just you, the road, and whatever’s under the bonnet. The BMW Z4 has always represented that philosophy, but what makes it genuinely fascinating is how much it’s evolved since the early 2000s, while somehow staying true to that same open-top spirit.
Let’s take it from the beginning.
The original Z4 debuted at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show, designed by Danish BMW designer Anders Warming and built on a modified BMW E46 3 Series platform. Right away it was making a statement — longer bonnet, shorter rear deck, and a clean soft-top silhouette that looked genuinely modern for its time.
Internally designated the E85 (roadster) and later the E86 (coupé, arriving 2006), it addressed a number of criticisms that had been levelled at its predecessor, the Z3 — most notably, a stiffer chassis and a noticeably more aggressive look.
The E85 came with a range of naturally aspirated inline-six engines:
Z4 2.5i — 2.5-litre inline-six (M54B25), producing around 184 hp
Z4 3.0i — 3.0-litre inline-six (M54B30), producing around 225 hp
Z4 M Roadster / M Coupé (2006) — 3.2-litre S54B32 engine from the E46 M3, producing 333 hp
That S54 engine in the Z4 M was the real headline act — a high-revving, naturally aspirated gem that many enthusiasts still talk about today. The last E85 rolled off the production line at BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina plant on 27 August 2008.
The E89, launched in 2009, took a sharp turn. Gone was the traditional fabric soft-top of the E85, replaced by a retractable hardtop roof — a folding metal construction that dropped neatly into the boot, eliminating the need for separate roadster and coupé variants entirely. It was clever engineering, but it also added weight, and for some purists, it felt a step removed from what a roadster should be.
What the E89 did do was bring turbocharged engines into the Z4 for the first time, which significantly changed the character of the car:
The sDrive35is was particularly notable — BMW’s own “is” designation signalling a performance step up, with the twin-turbocharged N54 engine pushed to 335 hp. Production of the E89 ran until 2016, and while it never quite had the raw edge of the E85 M models, it was objectively faster, more refined, and far better equipped.
The current-generation Z4, known as the G29, was unveiled at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and went on sale in 2019. And here’s where things get interesting — BMW made what felt like a deliberate return to basics. The retractable hardtop was dropped in favour of a classic fabric soft-top again, and the result was a lighter, more driver-focused car.
This generation is notably produced not at Spartanburg, but by BMW’s production partner Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik in Graz, Austria — a detail worth knowing if you’re ever researching build provenance.
The G29 is currently offered in two trims in the UK:
Z4 sDrive20i M Sport — 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder (B48), 197 hp, 320 Nm torque, 0–62 mph in 6.6 seconds
Z4 M40i — 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six (B58), 340 hp (382 hp in some markets), 500 Nm torque, 0–62 mph in 4.5 seconds
The M Sport package — which previously cost extra — is now included as standard on the four-cylinder models, and the M40i comes loaded with adaptive M suspension, electronically controlled dampers, and an M Sport differential at the rear axle. The 2022 facelift also brought a redesigned kidney grille with a horizontal inner structure, new exterior colour options including Thundernight metallic, Portimao Blue metallic and Skyscraper Grey metallic, and updated 18-inch double-spoke M light-alloy wheels as standard, with optional 19-inch V-spoke M wheels shod in 255/35 ZR19 (front) and 275/35 ZR19 (rear).
Inside, the G29 runs BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional system — a fully digital instrument cluster and 10.25-inch control display with navigation, BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, and smartphone integration. A world away from the analogue dials and minimalist fascia of the E85.
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