SPY PHOTOS: BMW Z29? And you thought the current BMW's were ugly!

First of its an engineering study, its not ment to be a design study. Hence why they did not really concentrate on making the car look hawt.

It's nice to see a car company actually push things FORWARD with it's design. While I agree that BMW does not always hit is 100% they DO strive to push things in a forward, modern, NON RETRO (thank God) direction. They have done more for the styling of automobiles in the last 5 years than most companies do in 50 years... and the high sales is proof that they are 100% on track.

You move forward or you die... that simple.

This surfaced YEARS AGO.. it was dubbed the Z5 at the time.. it was believed that it was canned after BMW took on-board one of the MB design chiefs (He prefered big displacement forced induction, to small lightweight roadsters)

Search on google for Z5, ignoring the Z3M coupe shots.. this was the car originally, literally years ago..

Anyway got to go, am in the middle of getting drunk

What are you you guys thinking this car is not ugly at all it's actally very nice looking I hope they build it.

Will...

Sorry dude but this car was seen YEARS AGO they have not tried to emulate anything..

As soon as I am sober enough to thumb through all of my old copies of autoexpress I'll find out when this car was first spied.

That's a photoshop. Something about the right-hand mirror and the lights gave it away.

Look very similar to Lexus LF-C and the Lexus IS 350 but in this case the LF-C and IS look way better than that. It definitely a very sleek and aggressive looking car for sure.

Lexus

well i like it more than the x3, thats for sure.

When you remove flame-surfacing from BMW, it looks great. Too bad it's not real.

Well, looking at the air intake, at least the car looks happy.

The only thing about carbon fiber is that it gives no warning as it reaches its fatigue limits. Also, the weaving is intricate and can be very complex to produce the required torsional stiffness in a 3D plane. Carbon fiber is usually only strong in one direction as a wafer, hence complex wrappings. This is what seems to keep the costs so high for now.

Tech Demonstrators are Tech Demonstrators, and Design Studies are Design Studies, The merging of these two separate excercises is seldom possible. From a structural perspective the use of CFRP is NOT an excercise for "Metal Heads". Having supported (structural BIW geometry design , analysis, and producibilty aspects) the definition of the ZT22 for Euro NCAP crashworthiness as well as numerous Airframes and Rotor Blades (Wind Turbine and Helicopter) CFRP material can stand with the best of the metallics on recurring product cost/performace/integrity.

this is fake...

Obviously, as there is much background information on the car, it isn't fake.

Second, when people see photoshopped images, they all just assume they are real. Then, for once we actually get a REAL photo, and we hear of how fake it looks...

Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles need to stop posting comments.

Chinese copy of the Z4 coupe? I saw one today, the rear was interesting.

I don't know why you Matthew think it is real.

It's not.

This image is clearly a photoshop. Someone obviously spent a lot of time on it trying to make it look real, and they almost came close to their goal, but it is clearly visible that this image is a photoshop.

Look at the lights, the mirrors, or the interior. Someone added these digitally and worked on them as to itegrate them into the picture with an effect that borders on real.

I am willing to bet that whoever 'chopped this used a Mazda RX-8 as a starting point. Look at the hood and fenders: RX-8 all the way.

And the car is hideous - even if the photoshop looks almost real.

looks sweet...

This is a picture of the car testing 3 years ago.

http://img.iskon.hr/kl/2001/12/06/0002052v.jpg

The fact that this was caught testing so long ago, and yet some of the comments above are still made, I wonder how many people on Autospies actually know anything about cars. BMW have unveiled 'prototypes' built by the 'Z Division' before (Z18, Z22 anyone?). Event the original Z1 was largely the work of 'Z' This is not a photoshop, but then it's also not a vehicle set for production, These are the best pictures released so far of this car though. It was probably built to test stuff/new technology for production cars.

with regards to carbon fibre use, i think aluminium and titanium and other lightweight metals will be used, since adapting a car plant to make carbon fibre panels will be very expensive. it's easier to go from steel to aluminium.
plastic will also be used as "skin". many cars in europe use them, renaults, fords, etc. they are light and help crash saftey (for pedestrians too). the new 3er coupe uses plastic wings doesn't it?

matt635

That picture of this Z29 on the track also looks FAKE. The front especially looks to me like a photoshop job. Sorry, this car looks like a fake to me.

efoxS4

I am not trying to defend BMW here, but I am 100% sure that this car is a photoshop. I've never even heard of the Z29 concept car.

BMW530i-

You WILL eat your words. just a little warning.

Here are some more REAL pictures: (from Carscoop)
http://i5.tinypic.com/23mstjn.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/23mstom.jpg

"German magazine Automotorundsport has revealed several pictures of a BMW prototype codenamed Z29. Most possibly this car is the alleged Z5 (see the camouflaged pictures bellow) that was approved for development in 1999 to compete against sports cars like the Porsche 911 and the Honda NS-X. Unfortunately, this 2 seater coupe with its impressive Lamborghini styled doors, never found its way into production as BMW preferred to evolve it to the more subtle Z4 Coupe.

Although the Z29 formed the basis for today's Z4, there are several differences between the two. Thanks to it's lightweight carbon monocoque chassis and the aluminum front and rear modules of the body, the Z29 weighs a mere 1.160 kg - 2.557 pounds. The Z29 wears the M3's 343 Hp 6cylinder engine, which gives it an impressive weight to Hp ratio of just 3,4. According to the German magazine, 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) takes 4.4 seconds and 80 to 120 km/h, 3.0 sec while the Z29's top speed is 270 km/h (168 mph)."

-Carscoop.

efoxS4-

Regarding your name question, remember 'Z29' was only its codename.

Read my post above regarding the details of this car.

Z29 just a product code name..

Z18 was never produced, just developed to test new ideas.. http://www.bmwinfo.com/0066.jpg

Same with Z22.. http://www.bohp.net/pict5/cc-z22-3.jpg

There is a lesson here somewhere... listen to those that know, or keep quiet.

...Ouch!!!!!! I feel sorry for the die hard BMW fans...
Another bangled bimmer. At least it has family resemblance.

Man what a family photo it would make to have all the butt ugly bimmers come together for one. And to think that BMW used to make some of the handsomest cars on the planet :-(