It’s a subject that’s been up for debate for the last five years or so; will BMW build a spiritual successor to its Z3 roadster? The trail had gone cold for a while, but it now appears that such a model, possibly wearing the Z2 badge, is once again under consideration.
In an interview with Autocar, an official (but unnamed) BMW source had the following to say regarding BMW Z2:
“We are considering a car in the spirit of the original Z3. It is of similar size to the Z3 but is planned to use the front-wheel-drive platform to keep costs down and achieve a margin level that ensures it is sustainable at comparatively low production volumes.”
A compact roadster model would provide BMW with a response to the new compact open-top model being co-developed by Mazda and Alfa Romeo to provide both carmakers with new iterations of their MX-5 and Spider models, respectively.
The new car could draw stylistic influences from the firm’s ConnectedDrive Vision concept, which was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show. If one of these features is a production take on the concept’s doors that descend into its flanks, there could even be some references to BMW’s oddball lightweight of the late-1980s; the Z1.
In the interests of production viability, the project would have to entail the Z2 being underpinned by BMW’s new FWD platform. While this move may have purists howling in despair, Autocar’s source claims that an FWD equipped with such driving aids as an electronic differential could counteract the dynamic limitations of such a drivetrain set-up. It would certainly have to if its to go up against the rear-wheel-driven offspring of Mazda and Alfa Romeo.
Should BMW decide to give this sub-Z4 model the green light, it’s unlikely that it will emerge anytime before 2015.
