Interlagos Blue Over Black Extended Nappa Leather, Showing Just 15,100 Miles!
When BMW released the Z3 M Coupe in 1998, it was met with an extremely mixed reaction—some loved the squat hatchback styling, while others found it to be one of the company's stranger cars. Those who loved driving quickly picked up on all of its best attributes, but sales were slow, and it was difficult to envision the Z3’s replacement getting a coupe variant of its own. In light of this, when BMW showed a coupe variant of the Z4 M at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show, enthusiasts were thrilled. Gone was the polarizing shooting-brake styling of the Z3 M Coupe, and in its place, a more elegantly styled fastback- which still offered the hatchback practicality of its predecessor. The Z4 M Coupe was only sold from April 2006 through August of 2008 and in that time, a mere 1,815 examples were sold in the United States, making this one of the rarest regular-production M cars ever sold by BMW.
This 2007 BMW Z4 M Coupe is a beautiful example, finished in the launch color of Interlagos Blue over a black Nappa leather interior, and shows just 15,100 miles at the time of cataloging. BMW produced a standard non-M Z4 Coupe alongside these M variants, and to the untrained eye, the appearance is remarkably similar. The front fascia is more aggressive, with further inset blacked-out kidney grilles and larger intakes, and at the rear, engineers installed a lower rear diffuser and the M-signature quad-exit exhausts. The overall design is arguably more classic in its appearance than the Z3 M Coupe but still retains the older car’s long nose and driving position that feels like you’re sitting on the rear axle.
The interior of the Z4 M Coupe may take the cake as the final, truly simple BMW interior. Although navigation was an option, the majority of cars were produced without a double-hump dashboard, and as far as we know, these were the final BMWs produced with a real key. On this example, the interior is wrapped in extended Black Nappa leather, with an early version of the Carbon Leather, which became ubiquitous on the E9X generation M3. A thick-rimmed 3-spoke wheel frames a set of deeply hooded gauges with a 180 mph speedometer and a tachometer with an 8,000 rpm redline.
Powering the Z4 M Coupe is BMW’s famed S54 inline-6, first seen in the E46 M3. This was BMW's final car to be equipped with this engine, as it was produced nearly two years after E46 production ceased. For cars delivered to North America, BMW stated 330 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, sent through a ZF 6-speed manual to a limited-slip differential in the rear. This Z4 M Coupe benefits from several upgrades under the hood that likely offer a slight increase in power but give it an absolutely extraordinary sound. In front, an aFe intake with a cone air filter lets you hear the unparalleled induction noise from those 6-ITBs and a Supersprint exhaust at the rear gives a bit of additional engine noise- the two of which combine to make this car sound absolutely amazing. Additionally, a Vorsteiner carbon fiber cam cover gives you a bit more to look at in the engine bay, and an aluminum strut brace keeps the chassis more buttoned down.
As far as analog driving experiences from BMW are concerned, these Z4 Ms are some of the most underrated cars out there. Imagine a more tail-happy E46 M3, with more than 200 lbs of weight taken out; it is quite an exciting ride. This example is in exceptional condition and benefits from a few enthusiast desired modifications that really enhance the driving experience, yet can be easily returned to stock if that is what you’re looking for.