BMW Z4 History
The Z3's successor — BMW's two-seat roadster across three generations, latterly shared with the Toyota Supra.
Photo: “2003 BMW Z4 2.5i, front right, 06-15-2025” by MercurySable99 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
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The Z4 replaced the Z3 for 2003, beginning with the E85 roadster and E86 coupe, then the folding-hardtop E89 (2009–2016).
The current G29 (2018–present) returned to a soft top and shares its platform with the revived Toyota Supra; production is set to end in 2026.
Generations
First generation · E85/E86
Photo: “2003 BMW Z4 2.5i, front right, 06-15-2025” by MercurySable99 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Soft-top roadster (E85) and later coupe (E86); replaced the Z3.
2003 Photo: “2003 BMW Z4 2.5i, front right, 06-15-2025” by MercurySable99 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2006 Photo: “2006 BMW Z4 M 1” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Second generation · E89
Switched to a two-piece retractable aluminum hardtop.
Third generation · G29
Back to a soft top; shares its platform with the Toyota Supra.
Body styles
- Roadster
- Coupe
Notable special editions & performance variants
Z4 M (M Roadster / M Coupe)
S54-powered M versions of the first-generation Z4. Source note: Wikipedia "BMW Z4 (E85)" — NA Z4 M production began Apr 2006 (MY2006), ended 2008.
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