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Current BMW Z4 Digitally Morphs Into Modern Z3 M Coupe

It’s hard to describe the Z3 M Coupe. On the one hand, it’s an ugly duckling that somehow turned into a modern classic. But on the other hand, the shooting brake-styled E36/8 is a proper driver’s car with a BMW M-tuned chassis, engine, a manual transmission, and an LSD.
BMW Z4 M Coupe rendering by Sugar Chow 9 photos
Photo: @sugardesign_1 on Instagram
BMW Z4 M Coupe rendering by Sugar ChowBMW Z4 M Coupe rendering by Sugar ChowBMW Z4 M Coupe rendering by Sugar ChowBMW Z4 M Coupe rendering by Sugar ChowBMW Z4 M Coupe rendering by Sugar ChowBMW Z4 M Coupe rendering by Sugar ChowBMW Z4 M Coupe rendering by Sugar ChowBMW Z4 M Coupe rendering by Sugar Chow
Slightly wider than the Z3 Coupe on which it’s based, the go-faster model also happens to ride lower to the ground on firmer springs and shock absorbers. Thicker anti-roll bars help the Clown Shoe in the twisties, along with the reinforced subframe and stronger semi-trailing arms. Except for the U.S. market, every Z3 M Coupe features two-piece floating rotors up front.

Produced from 1998 through 2002 in pretty limited numbers, the ultra-collectible sports car numbers 6,291 units in total. Considering that Ferrari sold more examples of the 458 Italia in the Old Continent alone, it’s easy to understand why the Z3 M Coupe is worth so much in this day and age.

An original-owner car with 10,000 miles (16,093 kilometers) on the clock fetched more than $100,000 on Bring a Trailer last year, a sum that isn’t likely to be surpassed by the Z4 anytime soon. Codenamed G29, the canvas-topped roadster is twinned with the fixed-head Toyota Supra and retails from $49,000 in the United States. The full-blown variant with 382 horsepower on tap is $63,700 sans destination and optional extras, which makes it a very tough sell against competitors that include the mid-engined C8 Corvette Stingray Z51.

Introduced three years ago and produced by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria instead of the Bavarian automaker, the Z4 would be a more tempting proposition in the ever-dwindling sports car segment if BMW would’ve followed the Clown Shoe recipe. Imagined as contemporary Z3 M Coupe by pixel artist Sugar Chow, the G29 with this body style would certainly sell a few units on the nostalgia factor alone. Add the M-developed S58 straight-six mill of the G80 M3 to the mix, and we may be looking at a future classic.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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