Extract from the on line Motor Trend test of the Z4 M40i:
The day before BMW turned a troupe of auto journo types loose around the Lisboa region of Portugal in the all-new Z4, the Bavarian carmaker allowed us to sample roadsters from glory days past. Sadly there was no touching the gorgeous 1939 BMW 328 parked in front of the sprawling Penha Longa Resort adjacent to the former Estoril F1 circuit. We were, however, allowed to sample the Z1, Z3, and Z8. The Wacky-doored Z1 drove just like an E30 325i if you removed all damping and structural rigidity. Fun, but perhaps not for reasons the factory intended. The supermodel-gorgeous Z8 featured slow, recirculating ball steering, dumpy suspension, and a muted soundtrack. Still, the near-magic hustle of the 394-hp naturally aspirated V-8 is a reminder that things used to be better. Especially when you slam the 3-4 shift at wide-open throttle. Oh, baby! The best-driving roadster of the bunch, it turned out, was a seafoam-green, neoclassical-looking Z3. What a thing of (handling) beauty. The last BMW ever to feature the brand's old trailing arm rear suspension setup, only 10 open-air miles were enough to remind us why the Ultimate Driving Machine used to be such a spot-on mission statement. We spent the rest of the day looking up used Z3 prices. Not kidding.
The day before BMW turned a troupe of auto journo types loose around the Lisboa region of Portugal in the all-new Z4, the Bavarian carmaker allowed us to sample roadsters from glory days past. Sadly there was no touching the gorgeous 1939 BMW 328 parked in front of the sprawling Penha Longa Resort adjacent to the former Estoril F1 circuit. We were, however, allowed to sample the Z1, Z3, and Z8. The Wacky-doored Z1 drove just like an E30 325i if you removed all damping and structural rigidity. Fun, but perhaps not for reasons the factory intended. The supermodel-gorgeous Z8 featured slow, recirculating ball steering, dumpy suspension, and a muted soundtrack. Still, the near-magic hustle of the 394-hp naturally aspirated V-8 is a reminder that things used to be better. Especially when you slam the 3-4 shift at wide-open throttle. Oh, baby! The best-driving roadster of the bunch, it turned out, was a seafoam-green, neoclassical-looking Z3. What a thing of (handling) beauty. The last BMW ever to feature the brand's old trailing arm rear suspension setup, only 10 open-air miles were enough to remind us why the Ultimate Driving Machine used to be such a spot-on mission statement. We spent the rest of the day looking up used Z3 prices. Not kidding.
Although the Z8 does have a certain something about it.
