There's been a lot of grumbling lately about the absence of a Z4 M model, but maybe the "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" guys in Munich have figured out a way to turn up the heat on the Deutschmark-counters in head office?
Inside Line reports that the U.S. is slated to to get something much crazier than an M Z4 - how about a V8-powered Z4 GT3? The competition-spec model loses the folding roof in favor of a fixed one reinforced by a full roll cage. It also gets racing slicks and a much more aggressive aero package. But the fun part is the V8 engine from the outgoing M3, tuned to 480 horsepower and paired with a six-speed sequential gearbox.
Word is the Z4 GT3 will soon be available to privateer racers in America, but it will, of course, be restricted to closed tracks. And considering it costs the equivalent of over $400,000 in Europe, it hardly fills the gap left by the absence of the street-legal Z4 M. OK, but you have to admit, it's a start. — Paul Duchene
