BMW Z4 Coupe

Design chief Chris Bangle's "flame surfacing" finally has hit its stride with BMW's Z4 coupe. "This is still a concept car, a study," company chief Helmut Panke said at the Frankfurt show, but he added, "We will be building a Z4 coupe." There's no reason to believe it won't look like this, save for its satin-primer gray finish (called "glacier silver"). The 19-inch aluminum wheels, by the way, use what BMW calls a "most elaborate casting technology." The Z4 coupe's design nicely marries the Z4 roadster's lower body with a 6-Series-like top and rear spoiler. The flame-surface scallop extending from the front fender to the back of the door melds perfectly into the flared rear fender. We expect the Z4 coupe to launch at the same time as a facelifted Z4 roadster.

Launch:
Mid-2006, model-year 2007

Engine:
215-horsepower, 3.0-liter I-6

Bottom Line:
Bangleism has finally found its car

And There's An M-Version Coming, Too
As you'd expect, BMW is working on a hot M version of the new Z4 coupe. Spied testing at the Nurburgring, the M Coupe is distinguished by its quad tailpipes and 19-inch alloy wheels. While the next-generation M3 is going V-8, the Z4 M will stay six-cylinder-powered, with an upgraded version of the E46 M3's 3.2-liter engine, reportedly tweaked to produce 360 horsepower, under that long hood.