BMW's Zagato coupe made a big splash at Villa d'Este, proving once again (not that it's news) that if you want something to look right, give it to the Italians. Now Autoevolution has tinkered with the concept to come up with a rendering of a roadster—and the result is very handsome indeed.
Given that the Alfa Romeo 8C is, to many people, the most beautiful sports car currently in (however limited) production, the prospect of a BMW competitor is most appealing. The Zagato roadster actually has an edge over the 8C convertible, which actually loses points around the tail compared to the coupe. However the BMW concept replaces the rather heavy tail of the Zagato coupe with something much lighter, so that's a plus.
Thinking this through one step further, the Alfa Romeo 8C is giving birth to a smaller 4C model, bound for production, so perhaps this could lead to a future Z4? It'd be good to have roadster that sold outside the family, so to speak. Anybody can preach to the converted.
Reportedly powered by an a similar engine to that found in the Z4 35is, but tuned to 400 hp, this roadster should achieve sub-5-second 0-60 mph times easily. What's not to like?––Paul Duchene
