According to British Autocar, which also broke the news for the first time back in March, the development of the Z10 is underway, with BMW aiming on creating both a coupe and a roadster version of the future Z. Both of them are said to be aimed at weighing no more than 3,300 lbs. (1,500 kg).
In the initial stage, the Z10 was planned to hide under the hood a twin-turbo V8, yet recent developments have steered the manufacturer into considering a smaller, 6 cylinder 3.0l twin-turbo unit.
This respective unit, bmwblog.com writes, will develop 450 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft of torque and will be paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Since getting all that power from the small 3.0l unit may be very difficult, BMW may use a hybrid system to go with the engine.
Of course, the Z10 is too far away from its release, with 2014 as the most likely year to be unveiled. Rumor goes it will be priced at around $110,000.
Although BMW has not confirmed the Z10, the upcoming presentation at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show of the Vision EfficientDynamics may be taken as an innuendo. The concept sportscar, powered by a three-cylinder turbodiesel engine and two electric motors, would be too much of a good thing to waste not to turn, at least part of it, into a production model.
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