BMW - Formula For Success
Robb Report Singapore|January 2020
It’s taken three (long) model generations, but BMW has finally gotten the formula right with the latest Z4.
Daryl Lee
BMW - Formula For Success

You know what they say about being third time lucky? Well, it seems BMW knows about it too.

Except perhaps in the case of the Z4, it’s not so much luck as the blood, sweat, and tears of the people who worked on the third car to wear the Z4 badge. The first car, designed under the stewardship of Chris Bangle, was, like many of his cars, somewhat… challenging. If you wanted to be rude, you might even call it ugly. A (most probably apocryphal) quote attributed to industrial designer Marc Newson went something along the lines of the first Z4 looking as if it had been styled with a machete.

Clearly, this is something BMW took to heart because it corrected those styling ills with the second Z4. Taking inspiration from the GINA concept car, the Z4 had a long bonnet, rearset cab and my favourite design feature of all, the very-Bangle pair of opposing ‘lines to nowhere’ character lines on its flanks.

It was a pretty thing, then. And with its folding hardtop, a feature all the rage in its day, drivers could experience the joys of owning a coupe and an open-top roadster all in one car.

Except that BMW forgot about the handling. The second Z4 felt fat, wasn’t particularly confidence-inspiring and left me wondering where the BMW handling magic had gone to.

And so, we come to the third-generation Z4. One wonders why BMW didn’t call it the Z6 instead, but anyway.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2020-Ausgabe von Robb Report Singapore.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2020-Ausgabe von Robb Report Singapore.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS ROBB REPORT SINGAPOREAlle anzeigen
BREAKING DOWN WALLS
Robb Report Singapore

BREAKING DOWN WALLS

Georgina Atkinson, managing partner of Origin Private Office, on the evolving landscape of high-end real estate.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2024
Aged Gracefully
Robb Report Singapore

Aged Gracefully

The Benromach 50 Years Old by Gordon & MacPhail is a delicious single malt, touched by love, passion and the human hand.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2024
This Month's Feed
Robb Report Singapore

This Month's Feed

Only the best dining and drinking spots in Singapore.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2024
Small-scale Thinking
Robb Report Singapore

Small-scale Thinking

Architect Todd Saunders wants to change the way we approach hospitality design from the ground up.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 2024
Todd Snyder Is Exactly Where He Wants To Be
Robb Report Singapore

Todd Snyder Is Exactly Where He Wants To Be

\"Our whole goal is to present product in a way that guys get it and understand it, versus 'Here's some crazy aspirational brand-you go figure it out on your own'.\"

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2024
Depp Dive Into Sauvage
Robb Report Singapore

Depp Dive Into Sauvage

Johnny Depp on music, scents and the mystique of creativity.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 2024
Time For Poetry
Robb Report Singapore

Time For Poetry

Pascal Raffy on his love affair with the 202-year-old house of Bovet.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2024
One of a Kind
Robb Report Singapore

One of a Kind

The incomparable Lange 1 turns 30 this year and A. Lange & Söhne marks the occasion with its trademark understatement.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2024
P For Personality
Robb Report Singapore

P For Personality

Enhance your swing, and inject your personal style while you're at it, with TaylorMade's new P-770 and P-7CB irons.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
The Short-hop-adventure-craft Category Takes Off
Robb Report Singapore

The Short-hop-adventure-craft Category Takes Off

Inside the flight deck of Pivotal's Blackfly eVTOL, an ultra-smart ultra-light with eight propellers, electric propulsion and no pilot's licence required.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 2024