We’re still a few months away before the new BMW Z4 arrives in the US market but we can take a first taste of its abilities, thanks to the exclusive test of the German Sport Auto, which took a late prototype for a flying lap around the Nurburgring.
With German racing driver Christian Gebhardt sitting behind the wheel, the still camouflaged prototype Z4 M40i was able to lap the iconic track in 7 minutes, 55.41 seconds. That’s quite impressive but still lags behind the Porsche 718 Cayman S, which posted a 7:46.70 with the same driver behind the wheel in 2016.
With that said and given the car’s prototype nature, we think the Z4’s lap time more of an indication than an outright performance figure of the finished series-production roadster. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a lap time of the 718 Boxster S, which is a more direct rival to the Z4, with the same driver.
The new BMW Z4 M40i is powered by a 3.0-liter straight-six engine producing 335hp (340PS) paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. As a member of the M Performance range, the Z4 M40i also features an M-tuned sports suspension that includes active dampers, bigger brakes and an electronically controlled rear differential.
BMW claims that the range-topping version of the new Z4 is capable of a 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds (0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds).
The Bavarian car maker will reveal all the technical details of the rest of the engine variants on September 19, before bringing the new Z4 for its European premiere at the Paris Auto Show on October 4.