BMW and Toyota have been working together for the past three years, developing a platform that will result in a new Supra for Toyota—and a replacement for the BMW Z4. No one can agree on whether it will be called a Z4 or a Z5, but what we are certain of is that it is real—and that it has been spotted on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife.
In the absence of official word on whether the next-generation BMW roadster will be called the Z4 or the Z5, we will refer to it simply as the next-generation BMW roadster or maybe by its rumored G29 factory designation.
The camouflaged BMW ragtop was caught on video running through the Karussell and other corners. Don’t look for the test driver flogging the car; it’s actually going rather slowly, which is not unusual depending on the phase of testing and what the engineers are looking for. As more spy videos appear in the many months to come, the test roadsters will attack the course with a bit more alacrity.
The camouflage can hide a lot, but not the fact that the new roadster’s top is fabric, which will help reduce weight. New Bimmers of late have weighed less than their predecessors and even though this test car’s lines appear boxier and less svelte than the E89 BMW Z4, we’re guessing that lighter-weight materials will make its replacement lighter as well.
Of particular interest on the test roadster spotted at the ‘Ring are the aerodynamic features. For example, the car has dive planes on the lower front fenders. Also, the rear trunk lid sports some sort of appendage that remains flat in this video but looks suspiciously like it might be a speed-dependent rear wing that rises when needed.
Speculation on the powerplant for the U.S. version is that the new roadster will share the 340 horsepower inline six with the BMW M240i.
Media reports have stated that Magna Steyr will manufacture the new BMW roadster at its plant near Graz, Austria, and that the Toyota offspring of the joint BMW-Toyota partnership—rumored to be the next Supra—will be built in the same factory.
Some analysts are calling the next-generation BMW roadster a 2018 model. We think that could be overly optimistic and would not be surprised if this car is at least two years away. But if BMW can get a thoroughly sorted out Z-whatever to us in time to call it a 2018 model, that would be excellent.—Scott Blazey
[Photos and video courtesy of cvdzijden - Supercar Videos via Autoevolution.]
