BMW to build new supercar?

v10, 5.5-litres : 550 hp : 2005
Z10 to replace failed retro-look Z8.

BMW is on the brink of deciding whether to make a successor to the Ł84,000 Z8 -- a stab at the supercar market which didn't work visually or financially.
A report in this week's Autocar based on conversations with BMW engineers suggests that the car is likely to come out of the Bavarian company's Californian studios and be called the Z10.

Saving weight is the central theme, with an aluminium spaceframe chassis, first used in the Z8, the centrepiece. It'll be about the same size as a Lamborghini Gallardo but weigh 250Kg less at around 1,200Kg. Motive power will come from the now-established 500bhp V10 found in the nose of the M5 and M6 -- a chunky but potent motor. The report suggests that BMW may bore it out to 5.5-litres to boost power to 550bhp, driving through a seven-speed sequential gearbox. That kerb weight gives it a power-weight ratio of 458bhp/tonne, beating both the Porsche Carrera GT and the Ferrari F430.

It will include all the electronics you would expect to keep it on the road while pressing on, together with active spoilers and a venturi underbody to suck onto the tarmac. Open-topped, it will feature a carbon fibre folding roof to allow it to compete with the likes of the Mercedes SL while keeping weight and the centre of gravity down.

Since the Z8 sold poorly -- fewer than 6,000 were sold during the three years it was on sale -- the studio is being asked to come with a more aggressive style than the retro look it plastered on the hapless Z8. It will be built using spare capacity at the Rolls Royce factory at Goodwood.

Expect it to be sold close to top-end 911 money -- similar to the Aston Martin V8 Vantage -- at around Ł80,000-90,000.

MUNICH, Germany — BMW's newly installed chairman, Norbert Reithofer, is rumored to be carefully considering a high-priced 2-seat roadster in the mold of the Mercedes-Benz SL.

It would be part of a strategy to boost the BMW model lineup following the demise of the Z8. The BMW roadster has yet to receive an official production go-ahead, but high-ranking officials confirm engineering studies on a replacement for the discontinued Z8 have been under way for some time now.

"We're looking at a number of different options, but we're under no pressure," a source told Inside Line. "Any decision will hinge on whether the car can be produced profitably."

The new car would enter the German carmaker's lineup above the Z4 and is described as being more mass-market than the super-exclusive Z8. The idea is said to have been inspired by the arresting California Spyder concept developed by BMW's DesignWorks studio last year as part of a design program for the Los Angeles auto show.

The new 2-seater, which would likely be named Z6, is reportedly based around the same component set as the 5 and 6 Series. Unlike these cars, however, plans are for it to use an aluminum space frame similar to that used by the Z8 to keep weight down and performance sharp.

As with the California Spyder concept, BMW is investigating providing the new car with a folding hardtop — which will be a strong challenge to the Mercedes-Benz SL for all-season compatibility. Despite the added weight brought on by such an arrangement, its ability to transform a car from coupe to roadster at the push of a button is sure to be weighing on the minds of BMW board members.

Although the California Spyder was based around a F1-derived 3.0-liter V10 engine delivering about 700 horsepower, production versions are likely to offer the choice between BMW's 272-hp 3.0-liter inline 6 and new 367-hp 4.8-liter V8, as well as its 445-hp 6.0-liter V12. A performance oriented M version, running the 507-hp 5.0-liter V10 used in the M5, is also a distinct possibility as a rival to the Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG.

BMW may have shut down production of its range-topping Z8 sports car in 2003, but the German engineers who came up with that car clearly haven’t been sitting on their hands. Word out of BMW is the company is working on another super-sports car, both in coupe and roadster configurations, which will eclipse the Z8 in performance and bad-boy attitude.

This illustration reflects the direction BMW is believed to be taking with the design of the new car, which is expected to hit the market in 2009.

Generally speaking, the more highly anticipated the car, the more difficult it is to get any advanced information on it—let alone pictures. However, our well-placed spies and informants have nabbed one of the hottest properties in all of automobiledom: the upcoming BMW Z9.

Though the body panels on this prototype probably have some small German village wondering what happened to all of its trash cans, there is much we can deduce about the successor to the limited production Z8 (below right), thought by many to be one of the most beautiful cars in BMW’s illustrious history.



For starters, obviously, this is a two-seat convertible. But rumor is that a folding hardtop will be an option, and we have on relatively good authority that the Z9 will be offered as a curvy coupe, too (the better to go after the Ferrari 599GTB with, we surmise). We imagine both cars will share the B-pillarless windows—which include the trademark “Hoffmeister Kink” in the C-pillar area. It appears that the vehicle is a bit less than 180 inches in length, while weight estimates put it in the same league as the Chevrolet Corvette.

The long nose further suggests that, like the Z8, the engine will be front-mid-mounted, with rear-wheel drive. The portholes on the side indicate that it will be yet another vehicle to feature trendy fender vents, although at least BMW can claim to have been doing them ever since the legendary late-50s 507 roadster (the car which itself provided the inspiration for the Z8 and thus the Z9).

As for what’s lurking beneath what’s certain to be a more lovingly sculpted hood than the one we see here, we estimate that base Euro-market models could get the 335i’s turbocharged, 300-hp 3.0-liter inline-six, while U.S. models would get the upcoming M3’s V-8 delivering over 400 horsepower to start, with the M5/M6’s splendid 5.0-liter 500-hp V-10 and possibly a 6.3-liter V-12 with more than 600 horsepower available as upgrades. BMW’s SMG is certain to be offered, but whether BMW will give us a traditional manual transmission is unclear at this point.

One of our sources has suggested that BMW would like to build some 15,000 units per year of the new Z9, making it far less exclusive than the Z8, which only tallied 5703 sales in the short time it was on the market. We think that’s a bit ambitious, particularly considering that the competitive set will have swollen by the time the Z9 hits—probably in about two years—to include the Audi R8, Lexus LF-A, and possibly the new Acura NSX and mid-engine Mercedes-Benz Gullwing. Thus, we don’t think BMW could get away with charging much more than $100K for the base models, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see V-12 versions approach $200K.