People first saw the BMW Concept Touring Coupe in Italy at the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza. The design idea turns the Z4 roadster into a two-door coupe with a shooting-brake body. This gives it the “clown shoe” look that was popular in the past. BMW is said to be thinking about making a small number of cars. Even though it is pouring like crazy the night before the 2023 Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza in Cernobbio on the shores of Lake Como, the cameras keep getting closer to the metallic brown show car. From the front, the two-door fastback looks precisely like the Z4 roadster that was just updated. On the other hand, the quarter-front view shows an entirely different animal: sleek and powerful, the restyled profile is the best way to get people’s attention. The coupe doesn’t have a canvas top like most cars do. Instead, it has a long metal roof with a beautifully carved, almost vertical hole. Even though it is more of a shooting brake than a coupe, BMW called it the Touring Coupe to honour the first touring model, which came out in 1971 and was based on the 02 series. Small pieces of broken glass have been added to the custom paint to give it depth and shine. Even though the demo car has been redone from the B-pillar back, the well-balanced two-seater still has a single look. The car’s tail is more attractive and valuable than the short, packed back end of the Z4. Matte bronze is used for the kidney grilles, tailpipes, and the kink in the side profile, unique to the BMW Hofmeister. Even when the car is stopped, it looks fast and furious because of the bulging hatch and the full-width spoiler at the end of the roofline that reduces drag and increases downforce. The oversized rear bumpers have 21-inch wheels with Pirelli P Zero tires wrapped around them. The idea moves on wheels that are 20 inches in diameter. Even though its shape makes it look like it could eat an M4, engineers gave the coupe for the European market a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with 340 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The ban is a carryover that has yet to be changed. How does the inside feel? The Touring Coupe has more room for gear than the Roadster, but the rear overhang is shorter on the Touring Coupe. We took note of the wide C-pillars’ big blind spots, the high-loading lip, and the small cargo deck on the debit side. A Quick Trip BMW won’t let us take this made, one-of-a-kind Z4 out of the Villa d’Este grounds, no matter how much we’d like to. It was hard to find a long straight, two corners that were tight enough for the photographer to be happy, and enough room in between to feel, hear, and fully understand the first thoughts of this very unusual car. We can now confirm that the touring coupe can speed up, turn, and stop on command, but what sets it apart from the competition is the extra emotional value of every newly polished pore. The interior screams luxury, the exhaust sounds like it never had to fight with regulators, and it smells like an old chair that cost $5,000. “At the Right Time, the Right Car” Domagoj Dukec, who oversees the design of BMW cars, says, “We still think this is the best car for the situation.” Still, the shot break is a good mix of sportiness and style. Before deciding, we’ll see what people think and think about how a car like that would hurt the brand and our image. The Z4 touring (project name California) was based on the first Z3 car, called the “clown shoe,” because it was so small. It was made from 1998 to 2002. The next car, a Z4 hardtop, never became an icon. If BMW and Toyota hadn’t worked together to make the Supra, the Z4 would have been stopped in 2018.
