TheCarConnection.com:
BMW will succeed the Z8 with a new roadster in 2009 - and here's the photographic proof.
This Z9 Roadster prototype - a coupe is also said to be under development - was nabbed in Munioh city traffic. Despite its disguise, the unmistakably long hood suggests a front-mounted engine and rear-drive, as in the Z8.
Power could come from engines ranging from the 335i's twin-turbo 3.0-liter in-line six with 306 horsepower, to the upcoming M3's 400-horsepower V-8, to the M5's 500-horsepower V-10. A 600-horsepower V-12 is also a possibility.
Styling of the new Z9 should be stunning, as witnessed by these pictures. Wide air intakes are clearly visible on the side, and are reminiscent of the famous BMW 507 from 1955 - the car that drew fans like Elvis Presley and Ursula Andress.
Along with the Audi R8, the BMW's competition will be heady when it emerges. We expect a new Acura NSX to arrive by then, as well as the production version of the Lexus LF-A.
Even though the Z8 sold only 5703 copies, the Bavarian car maker is planning on producing 15,000 Z9 roadsters each year, at a price of about $100,000 each.
BMW will succeed the Z8 with a new roadster in 2009 - and here's the photographic proof.
This Z9 Roadster prototype - a coupe is also said to be under development - was nabbed in Munioh city traffic. Despite its disguise, the unmistakably long hood suggests a front-mounted engine and rear-drive, as in the Z8.
Power could come from engines ranging from the 335i's twin-turbo 3.0-liter in-line six with 306 horsepower, to the upcoming M3's 400-horsepower V-8, to the M5's 500-horsepower V-10. A 600-horsepower V-12 is also a possibility.
Styling of the new Z9 should be stunning, as witnessed by these pictures. Wide air intakes are clearly visible on the side, and are reminiscent of the famous BMW 507 from 1955 - the car that drew fans like Elvis Presley and Ursula Andress.
Along with the Audi R8, the BMW's competition will be heady when it emerges. We expect a new Acura NSX to arrive by then, as well as the production version of the Lexus LF-A.
Even though the Z8 sold only 5703 copies, the Bavarian car maker is planning on producing 15,000 Z9 roadsters each year, at a price of about $100,000 each.