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Unofficial Design Sketches Revive the BMW Z8 Roadster as a Self-Driving, Sporty EV

Back when the controversial designer Christopher “Chris” Edward Bangle was still the BMW Group styling head honcho, his team did not deliver only duds like the E65 (2001) 7 Series or the E63/E64 grand tourers.
BMW Z8 Roadster EV revival FSD rendering by tedoradze.giorgi 7 photos
Photo: tedoradze.giorgi / Instagram
BMW Z8 Roadster EV revival FSD rendering by tedoradze.giorgiBMW Z8 Roadster EV revival FSD rendering by tedoradze.giorgiBMW Z8 Roadster EV revival FSD rendering by tedoradze.giorgiMercedes-AMG SLS EV revival FSD rendering by tedoradze.giorgiBMW Z8 Roadster EV revival FSD rendering by tedoradze.giorgiBMW Z8 Roadster EV revival FSD rendering by tedoradze.giorgi
Instead, they also gave us stunning concept cars like GINA or the mesmerizingly retro-modern BMW Z8 roadster. Sure, Henrik Fisker was also there to take care of the exterior while the interior was penned by Scott Lempert, and they both succeeded in celebrating the 1956–1959 BMW 507 legacy, exactly as they intended.

Nowadays, Adrian van Hooydonk actively continues Bangle’s controversial ways – albeit with his signature twists, such as the double-coffin vertically-humongous M3/M4 grille or the newly split-headlight design style penned for the flagship X7, 7 Series, and i7 models. But that is all in the real world.

Over across the virtual realm, things are a bit easier to both ascertain and entertain. Take for example Giorgi Tedoradze, a Georgia-based industrial designer better known as tedoradze.giorgi on social media, who recently imagined a successor for the cool yet classic BMW Z8. This nameplate revival follows in the footsteps of his previous Mercedes-AMG SLS unofficial design that resurrected the German supercar for the 2024 model year.

So, the same time frame is offered for the potential Z8 rival – even though one is a coupe, and the other a roadster. Plus, they are both unofficial, conceptual design sketches (so, do excuse the grainy texture), and they all share the same new-age powertrain ethos. More precisely, both the AMG SLS revival and the reinvented Z8 would feature both hybrid and completely electric powertrains, as well as full self-driving (aka Autopilot-style) capabilities.

That looks like the pixel master is aiming a bit high for the current state of the automotive industry. Still, they both look rad, so do you give them a CGI hall pass, or not?





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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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