When the BMW Z4 debuted in 2018, it checked nearly every box for enthusiasts. Rear-wheel drive. A proper straight-six. A sporty, short wheelbase chassis. Incredibly, BMW even (eventually) blessed us with a true-blue manual transmission. But even with the slick ZF-sourced automatic, the B58 engine helped make the Z4 M40i into a serious driver’s car. But BMW never built the car that seemed inevitable: a full-fat Z4 M. Weeks of waiting turned to months of rumors, which turned into years of wondering. Now, the car’s leaving production. What a sad missed opportunity.
The G29 BMW Z4 M Could’ve Carried On Tradition
There’s a peculiar, perhaps unintentional tradition that defined BMW for years. Despite no shortage of competent, even excellent, road cars, there was always something in the lineup decidedly more…niche. Sightly oddball cars that seemed to exist solely because someone inside Munich wanted them to. The BMW 1 Series M Coupe was effectively a parts-bin special. Limited production. A widebody compact with a manually tuned, slightly chaotic personality. It became an immediate classic. Before that, the BMW Z4 M Coupe was a fixed-roof oddity in a world that barely asked for it. A naturally aspirated S54 stuffed into a compact chassis that already sold in modest numbers. Similarly, the original BMW M Coupe — affectionately dubbed the “clown shoe” — was unapologetically weird. Shooting brake proportions. Polarizing design. Super low production ensured cult status.
We’ve now established a (give or take) 15-year tradition of BMW making some truly whacky vehicles. Before the M Coupe, which debuted in 1998, you could make a case for the E36 M3 LTW, or better, the BMW Z1. Afterwards, you could make a pretty good case for the BMW i8 — although its pursuits were decidedly more intellectual. These weren’t exactly rational cars built for mass market appeal. They were statements, and that’s precisely why the absence of a G29 Z4 M stings.
The G29 BMW Z4 M: A Missed Opportunity
The bones were already there. The G29 platform is capable of handling far more than the 382-horsepower B58 in the M40i. The S58 engine from the BMW M3 and BMW M4 exists. The engineering investment was already amortized — likely with help, to some extent, from the Toyota Supra’s existence. But despite the BMW powertrain, switchgear, cabin layout, and underpinnings, the Toyota Supra — only available as a coupe — remains lighter and arguably the more hardcore alternative to the Z4.
Which brings us to another, related sore spot: the Z4 coupe. By the late 2010s, BMW’s lineup was becoming increasingly digital, insulated, and large. Hydraulic steering was gone. Curb weights crept upward. The M division’s cars became objectively faster but subjectively more filtered. A compact, rear-drive, short-wheelbase Z4 M Coupe could have functioned as the spiritual counterweight — the analog punctuation mark in an increasingly software-defined lineup.
BMW flirted with the idea, bringing the gorgeous Z4 Touring Coupe to the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2023. Concrete answers for why the car never made it into production are nonexistent. Our intel suggested an uber-low production run of 50 cars at a sky-high price of $250,000. Extensive — and expensive — additions from the standard Z4 like matching luggage and acres of leather in the cabin likely demanded that kind of sticker price. Sadly, that might be the answer we’re looking for. We doubt the M Coupe or 1M would’ve made it into production with that level of customization and that kind of price tag, either.
The Almighty Dollar Killed the Quirky Sports Car
Up until the mid-2010s, there was always something a little rebellious sitting in the configurator. That tradition, sadly, seems to have been stamped out by accountants. The rebel spirit feels focus-grouped. Yes, you have CS and CSL variants, but a combination of inaccessibility and — let’s face it — somewhat minimal real differences in character don’t quite capture the spirit of those older oddball cars. The Z4 M40i is already becoming a bit of a future classic sans true M running gear. I think a G29 Z4 M would’ve properly carried on the mantle and nearly immediately become the champion of the modern M lineup.
So where does that leave enthusiasts? If you want the full-weird BMW experience, you’ll need to look backward. Hunt down an M Coupe. Track down a 1M. Or take the search aftermarket. Graft wider fenders, retrofit a fixed roof, bolt up some power mods, and make your own Z4 Coupe. Neither option fills the gap left by the G29 Z4 M that never was. And that’s a darn shame.
