BMW was commissioned by Toyota to do the underpinnings of the current Supra, and it duly did so by developing that car’s components in tandem with those of the G29 Z4, the results of which are pretty spectacular on both sides. But if anything, the Z4 feels the more exciting of the two to drive, especially with its canvas electric roof down so you can appreciate the cultured screams of its 335bhp, 3.0-litre turbo engine that much more viscerally.
The driving position remains a defining factor; some like it, some don’t. You feel as if you’re sitting right over the rear axle, the end of the bonnet miles away, stuck somewhere in the sixties perhaps. Yet the manual gearbox is excellent; the response from its potent six-cylinder engine is as crisp as a thin layer of fresh ice. And, holy smoke, is it still quick when you put your foot down, as in 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds with a thunderous mid-range that’s absolutely chock-full of torque.
You drive a Z4 with your heart first, your mind and body second, and on the right road it is lovely. True, on a rainy Tuesday night in dense traffic its appeal can fade a touch, but that doesn’t prevent it from being one of BMW’s more memorable cars of the past three decades. One that will be much missed.
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