BMW has teamed with renowned design and engineering house Zagato and revealed the new Z4 Zagato Coupé concept at this past weekend’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the banks of Lake Como in Italy.
Jointly-developed with the Italian coachbuilder, the bespoke model was created under the “Vmax concept” of building of a road-going vehicle that has been aerodynamically optimised to be driven at high speeds. The sleek, low-slung design of the BMW Zagato Coupé is the fusion of both companies through many hours of exquisite hand-craftsmanship. The aluminium body, finished in a unique Rosso Vivace paint colour, has been built entirely by hand.
Unlike the production Z4 Coupe of the previous generation, this new concept shares not a single panel with its topless forebear and even the headlights were made from scratch. Standout features include 19-inch alloy wheels, a mesh grille made from tiny Z letters, the double-bubble roof and a back-end inspired by the 1940 BMW 328 “Mille Miglia” Kamm coupé.
Light and dark shades of grey leather cover the interior highlighted with red stitching on the instrument panel, doors and seats, with the latter matched by headrests embroidered with a ‘Z’.
Performance specifications weren’t released, but BMW says the concept uses a “high-performance engine.” A little vague to say the least, but we wouldn’t be surprised to find 250 kW / 450 Nm, 3.0-litre turbo’d straight-six that powers the Z4 sDrove35is.
BMW says the car is registered for road use and meets all legal requirements worldwide. “The challenge lies in injecting the emotional appeal of a concept car into a road-legal machine. And we think we have succeeded in doing just that with the BMW Zagato Coupe,” said Dr Andrea Zagato, the third generation to head the company.
