Today, BMW of North America publicly unveiled a special livery, which pays homage to the IMSA 3.0 CSL, for the two BMW Team RLL Z4 GTLM cars that will race in the 2015 edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 21st. The unveiling took place during “Cars & Coffee at the Concours” which is part of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance weekend in Northern Florida. 1975 12 Hours of Sebring winning drivers Brian Redman, Sam Posey and Hans Stuck, 1972 -1980 BMW Motorsport Manager Jochen Neerpasch and current BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt were on-hand when BMW ace driver Bill Auberlen drove the car onto the show field to the applause of show goers and BMW Motorsport fans.



BMW AG began the decade of the 1970s in transition. While the company battled to establish its own distribution in North America, one of its directors pushed to formalize a racing program in Germany. In an inspired drive, then-BMW AG Sales and Marketing Director, Bob Lutz, successfully lured former race driver turned race team manager Jochen Neerpasch and race engineer Martin Braungart from Ford of Europe in May of 1972. With the help of Lutz’s understanding ear on the Board, BMW Motorsport GmbH was formed. The newcomers had much work ahead of them, but not in all areas. Engines were always BMW’s strong suit – in no small part due to the talents of BMW master engine designer Paul Rosche. And, strangely enough, it was the newness of the motorsports company and the absence of a layered infrastructure that allowed Neerpasch and Braungart to develop the racing CSL in a few short months. This lightweight special would become BMW’s weapon of choice for nearly the next 10 years.



The ’73 season ended with both the European Touring Car Driver’s and Manufacturer’s championships awarded to BMW. There was certainly light at the end of the tunnel – unfortunately it was an oncoming train in the form of the world’s energy crisis. The energy crisis, in combination with the large expenditure for a new BMW 5 Series assembly plant, meant that factory racing took a back seat in 1974.

So then, how did BMW end up in victory lane Sebring, Florida, in March 1975? While Neerpasch and company fought on the race tracks of Europe, another battle was being waged over the distribution of BMW cars in North America. Ultimately, BMW of North America was formed and began distributing cars in March of 1975, and the new company looked for ways to establish its identity and grow the brand. A commonly-told story of the early days was that many Americans were mistakenly under the impression that BMW stood for British Motor Works.



While racing is not always treated affectionately in the boardrooms of auto companies, nothing proves and improves a brand like racing. The decision was made for BMW to contest the IMSA Camel GT Series in 1975 with two 3.0 CSLs and four world-class drivers: Brian Redman, Hans Stuck, Ronnie Peterson, and Sam Posey. To dispel any misconceptions as to exactly who had come to race, the cars featured BAVARIAN MOTOR WORKS printed across the windshield tops.

The BMW team arrived at Sebring after disappointment at Daytona 1975, one month earlier. After qualifying a strong second and third at the season opener, both cars retired with connecting rod failures. The 12 Hours of Sebring began with three major changes. Allan Moffat substituted for Ronnie Peterson, who could not compete in a non-FIA race. European-proven Dunlop tires replaced the Goodyears tried at Daytona. Finally, new connecting rods were designed, tested, and installed. As usual, Hans Stuck put his car on the pole – by some five seconds.



Confidently starting the race, the No. 24 car of Stuck and Posey pulled out an early lead over Corvettes and Porsches. The· No. 25 car of Redman and Moffat ran a bit farther back as Moffat got familiar with the car. Sebring is one of the world’s most demanding races, and within a matter of hours began to wear down out the lead CSL and its competitors. As an oil leak promised the end for Stuck and Posey, the race lead fell to the No. 25 CSL, and increasingly onto the shoulders of veteran racer Redman, who stayed in the car stint-after-stint because Moffat could not match his speed. After retiring the No. 24 car, Stuck and Posey pitched in, but it was Redman’s drive of more than seven hours of twelve that meant victory for BMW and the team.



1975, the BMW CSL, and the 12 Hours of Sebring all symbolize the simultaneous startups of a BMW national sales company and BMW Motorsport in North America. The significance and achievements are not underestimated by today’s BMW, whose brand turns 100 years old in 2016. Only four men stood on the roof of the winning BMW in Sebring’s victory lane, but many others deserved to. After that stunning first win, BMW Motorsport and BMW of North America have charged ahead, consistently winning races, championships, and the hears of fans, employees, and loyal customers for the ensuing four decades.

BMW has announced the Pure Fusion Design package for its Z4 model, adding interior upgrades and the option for a Sparking Brown metallic exterior paint.

The Pure Fusion Design package refines the interior of the BMW roadster with premium Nappa leather and specially designed sports seats in Ivory White with contrast brown stitching. The unique stitching can also be found on the armrests, door panels and the passenger pull handle.

Ivory White has also been applied to the lower portion of the dash while black leather contrasted with brown lapfolded seams are found on the window sills, the top of the dash and the instrument cluster hood. There’s also the option of Fineline wood, a new addition to the interior accents available to BMW owners. The look and finish of the Pure Fusion Design package is rounded off by sun visors covered with black Nappa leather.

No pricing on the package was announced.

Limited to 60 units

BMW Japan has introduced a special edition of the Z4 called "sDrive20i GT Spirit."

There's no shortage of special edition BMWs prepared exclusively for the Japanese market as another one has just been introduced in the land of the rising sun celebrating the one-two win of the BMW Sports Trophy team in the Super GT series with a Z4 GT3.

Only 60 cars will be produced and all will be based on the sDrive20i with the M Sport package and an Alpine White body together with a black kidney grille. It comes with 19-inch M lightweight alloy wheels while on the inside it gets M-branded door sill plates, aluminum pedals, a combination of leather and Alcantara with orange accents.

Like the standard version, the BMW Z4 sDrive20i GT Spirit is powered by a 4-cylinder 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine delivering 184 PS (135 kW) and 199 lb-ft (270 Nm) of torque. It's enough for a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) run in 6.9 seconds and a 146 mph (235 km/h) top speed when configured with the optional eight-speed sport-automatic gearbox.

Even though the term “Steampunk” first originated at around the same time as BMW was presenting their first ever Z-model – the innovative Z1 Roadster at the 1987 Frankfurt Auto Show – it would be safe to say that the Bavarian line of Z-cars has nothing to do with the Sci-Fi sub-genre.

Until now, that is, since looking at the crazily-modified BMW Z4 in the adjacent photos will most definitely make you dream about your favorite steampunk novel.

Created entirely by the interior design geniuses from Carlex Design, the steampunk'd BMW Z4 uses actual metal pieces for most of the new bits in the interior, while the rest is engulfed in Dakota and Vintage leather along with a nice array of Alcantara trimming.

As you can see, the transmission tunnel, part of the dashboard, door handles and the two roll bars behind the seats are made out of copper or brass, while the steering wheel itself was actually forged out of real copper bars for the full steampunk look.

The exterior hasn't been left stock either, with the Z4 having received a matte black vinyl wrap, while the retractable roof comes in brushed copper. In other words, this is by far the coolest modified BMW you will probably see all week.

The BMW Z4 roadster is exclusively offered with gasoline engines, which is probably why tuner AC Schnitzer decided to experiment and fit it with a massive diesel unit.

The AC Schnitzer ACZ4 5.0d is a one-off vehicle based on the BMW Z4 sDrive 23i, but with a major change: instead of the standard gasoline engine, it features an M50d diesel unit – the same triple-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six that is used on the BMW M550d.

The engine has been upgraded and fitted into the ACZ4 5.0d, with output and maximum torque figures increasing from 381PS (375hp) and 740Nm (546lb-ft) to 430PS (424hp) and 840Nm (619Nm).

Besides the new engine, the ACZ4 5.0d also features the rear axle gear and limited slip differential from the BMW M3 (E92), while the standard manual gearbox has been replaced with an 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters.

Needless to say, these modifications have a strong impact on the car’s performance, with the AC Schnitzer ACZ4 5.0d sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds and reaching 300 km/h (186 mph). It is also capable of lapping the Sachsenring circuit in 1:37.22, making it the fastest diesel-powered car on the respective track.

Besides mechanical upgrades, the ACZ4 5.0d also features lightweight construction, including the folding roof and the boot lid made of CFC. These modifications alone account for a 90kg (198lbs) weight reduction. Furthermore, the standard silencer has been replaced by a lightweight silencer, saving 19kg (41.8lbs).

A further 25kg (55.1lbs) are saved by the AC Schnitzer forged alloys Type VIII. In total, with a few further measures, 131kg (288.8lbs) have been saved, with the car tipping the scales at 1,469kg (3,238lbs), despite the significantly heavier M50d power plant.

According to AC Schnitzer, the "ACZ4 5.0d is a concept vehicle not for sale, which was produced to customer specifications and at the same time acted as a technology platform for AC Schnitzer product development. In its current form, the vehicle would cost € 113,965."

This is Duke Dynamics new styling and wheel program for the most recent iteration of the BMW Z4 roadster (internal codename E89).
The tuner's goods are highlighted by a wide body kit that adds a few inches to the hardtop models wheel arches on all four corners, thus making space for the use of bigger 20-inch wheels shod in uber beefy rubber - you know, of the kind that will make you a star client at your local tire shop.

Completing the look is a new vented hood and redesigned wider bumpers, the front with an optionally available carbon fiber lip spoiler, and the rear with a carbon fiber diffuser and quad exhaust pipes.

According to Worldcarfans, the basic aero package is listed for $10,400 or about €7,600 at today's exchange rates.

What happened to the BMW Z4? I feel like not only do customers forget about it, I feel like BMW forgets about it as well. I’ve haven’t heard anything about it in what feels like decades. Until I recently found out that it was one of the worst selling cars of 2014.

Selling 1,983 units in 2014, the Z4 was the 9th worst selling car of the year. Which is a shame as the Z4 is a good little roadster. It has the same great engines as every other BMW, nimble chassis, good steering and infinite headroom. I guess it just isn’t good enough to sell anymore.

This isn’t really all that surprising, though. The Z4 is getting pretty long in the tooth, now, and has gotten some new competition that it simply can’t compete with. The new Mercedes SLK is newer and more modern so it has been stealing a lot of sales from the Z4, despite not being as good. The real Z4 killer is the new Porsche Boxter. The Boxter is not only better than the Z4, but one of the finest convertible sports cars on sale.

That’s not to say the Z4 is bad, just dated. Its competition has upgraded to artillery while the Z4 still uses a bow and arrow. Okay, so it’s not that extreme, but it’s still outdated.

Thankfully BMW is currently working on a new one with the help of Toyota, which could be an absolute riot. Might not carry the Z4 name but we know this will be a better roadster.