BMW Concept Touring Coupe Revives the Spirit of the Z3 Coupe
If classic cars are your thing, take a closer look at the recently-revealed BMW Concept Touring Coupe, and you will instantly recall the E36 Z3 Coupe, which met its untimely demise to make way for the E85 Z4 in 2002.
Nicknamed the 'Clown Shoe', the Z3 Coupe was a pleasant car to drive, yet it also had its clinchers; such as the cramped and cluttered cabin and a surprisingly wayward chassis. That's a story for another day, though.
Modern Icon
Speaking of the Concept Touring Coupe, it was unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este – a classic and vintage car event that BMW has always made use of to showcase its stunning concepts such as the GINA Light Visionary Model and the Z4 Zagato Concept.
The closed two-seater blends a modern design with classic cues, and BMW says it nods to the BMW 02 Series model variants of the early 70s and has been developed for one-off production.
The car's shooting brake-inspired design is attractive but practical, featuring a seamless shape highlighting its defined body surfaces. The attractiveness factor is also partly due to the Sparkling Lario exterior paintwork, which was specially created for this car.
It sits on exclusive light alloys wrapped with 20" rubbers at the front and 21" at the back for extra traction.
The interior is straight from the Z4 but adds a bespoke bi-colour option from the Italian leather workshop Poltrona Frau. Perfectly coordinated with the vehicle are a custom-made set consisting of two large and one small weekend bag and a garment bag.
Not An M Car
It's not an M car. Instead, it employs the Z4's M40i 3.0-litre inline-six powertrain with 285 kW and 500 Nm accessed via a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, yet it could do with more oomph to carry the extra weight.
Although BMW has no intentions of manufacturing the Concept Touring Coupe, they are keeping a close eye on the feedback they receive. This will help them evaluate the potential impact of producing such a model and how it may affect their brand image. Then again, at least three potential customers have reportedly shown keen interest in the Touring Coupe at Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. Is this enough to motivate a limited run of, say, 50? Only time and, ultimately, the bean counters will tell.
Crossing Fingers
If it's given the green light, the CTC will exist to take over from where the Z3 M left off, but BMW says we have to wait for its final decision, expected later this year. BMW has had a headstart with the underpinnings since the CTC is based on the current Z4, and to think it never received a hard-top counterpart, this could finally be it. We keep our fingers crossed, though.
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