[doane2u]

Will there be a Z9 to follow the Z8?

[eleniki]

Would be great !

[Eau_Rouge111]

As long as they don't put that dumb center gauge cluster in it as they did in the Z8

[doane2u]

Bond would love it, I'm sure..



(I wish my Z4 had a non typical BMW grill like that with the fog? lights.)

[SD ///M4]

The next BMW roadster will likely be the Z5 which has been an on and off project for the last several years, replacing the Z4. It is rumored to be a joint project with Toyota. The bottom of the roadster market dropped out circa 2006-2007 and sales of the E85 Z4 dropped off sharply during that period and BMW discontinued that model in 2008. BMW introduced the E89 Z4 as a hardtop convertible in 2009, but never sold enough of that model to justify its production. It was discontinued last year.

There's been lots of press about the possible Z5. Here's one article from Road & Track from September 2016. Google it to find out more.

[mkoesel]

^^ Ironic post since I moved the OP from the Z5 thread, where it was clearly off topic. And now we've come full circle with a Z5 post in this thread (which is also off-topic).

So, he knows about the Z5, but is talking about a Z8 successor which is a very different product. In all likelihood, it won't happen for the same reasons a BMW super car won't happen.

[SCOTT26]

Little known fact.

The original follow-up programme to the Z8 eventually morphed in to the BMW i8 and will come full circle with the introduction of the new BMW i8 Roadster.

[3GFX]

I saw this post and wasn't going to comment because it's hope versus speculation and there is no current Z9 in development and there will most likely not be in the near future thus a taboo and pointless topic/thread. Having said that, here I am drawn into the conversation.

The Z8 was the "8" simply because it was the highest number and thus top model of BMW at the time. It was a Z car because it was a roadster. It had a central instrument cluster and unique grill because it was to be the spiritual ancestor to the 507. A Z9 is nowhere on the product planning sheet, especially since even the 6-Series roadster and coupe are on the current chopping block. I don't even think they've registered the "Z9" trademark.

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Ironic post since I moved the OP from the Z5 thread, where it was clearly off topic. And now we've come full circle with a Z5 post in this thread (which is also off-topic).

So, he knows about the Z5, but is talking about a Z8 successor which is a very different product. In all likelihood, it won't happen for the same reasons a BMW super car won't happen.

LOL at the irony....interesting it has started so many replies and conversation.

Originally Posted by SCOTT26

Little known fact.

The original follow-up programme to the Z8 eventually morphed in to the BMW i8 and will come full circle with the introduction of the new BMW i8 Roadster.

Hence why the Z9 won't come to any fruition.

Originally Posted by doane2u

Bond would love it, I'm sure..

Bond chopped that car in half within minutes of it being in the film. We hardly got to see it in action. Such a shame.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Back in 1999 BMW had already the concept Z9 , but it was like...

=> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Z9

[3GFX]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Back in 1999 BMW had already the concept Z9 , but it was like...

=> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Z9

Interesting that it pretty much turned into the E63/64 6 series.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by 3GFX

Interesting that it pretty much turned into the E63/64 6 series.

You are right , BMW used the Z9 concept rear end design for of the produktion of the E63/64 (6 series)

[SCOTT26]

Originally Posted by 3GFX

I saw this post and wasn't going to comment because it's hope versus speculation and there is no current Z9 in development and there will most likely not be in the near future thus a taboo and pointless topic/thread. Having said that, here I am drawn into the conversation.

The Z8 was the "8" simply because it was the highest number and thus top model of BMW at the time. It was a Z car because it was a roadster. It had a central instrument cluster and unique grill because it was to be the spiritual ancestor to the 507. A Z9 is nowhere on the product planning sheet, especially since even the 6-Series roadster and coupe are on the current chopping block. I don't even think they've registered the "Z9" trademark.



LOL at the irony....interesting it has started so many replies and conversation.



Hence why the Z9 won't come to any fruition.



Bond chopped that car in half within minutes of it being in the film. We hardly got to see it in action. Such a shame.

The BMW Z8 used in "The World is not Enough" for close-ups was a prototype, as well as miniatures and another car (Corvette?) with a Z8 body. The actual car was not ready when they started to film in early 1998.

[MalibuBimmer]

Originally Posted by doane2u

Bond would love it, I'm sure..



(I wish my Z4 had a non typical BMW grill like that with the fog? lights.)

Not really. My wife was a Bond Girl in the film featuring the Z8 and I went to the cast party just before the film premiered in London. I sat next to Pierce Brosnan at the party. (He's also a neighbor here in Malibu, and our kids went to private school together.)

Being a BMW aficionado, I asked Pierce what he thought of the Z8. He said he "hated them." (There were several he drove.) He said BMW offered him one to drive when they were sold in the U.S. and that he turned BMW down.

I was deflated.

But imagine how happy I was a few years later when Pierce drove some specially equipped Aston Martin Vanquish models in the follow up Bond film. Pierce really wanted one of those Vanquish Aston Martins and he asked Ford Motor Co. They turned him down.

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

Not really. My wife was a Bond Girl in the film featuring the Z8 and I went to the cast party just before the film premiered in London. I sat next to Pierce Brosnan at the party. (He's also a neighbor here in Malibu, and our kids went to private school together.)

Being a BMW aficionado, I asked Pierce what he thought of the Z8. He said he "hated them." (There were several he drove.) He said BMW offered him one to drive when they were sold in the U.S. and that he turned BMW down.

I was deflated.

But imagine how happy I was a few years later when Pierce drove some specially equipped Aston Martin Vanquish models in the follow up Bond film. Pierce really wanted one of those Vanquish Aston Martins and he asked Ford Motor Co. They turned him down.

With the prices of the Z8 now, I bet he wished he had taken one. I know a couple who weren't happy with how their investments were going, so last year they bought a pair of Z8s speculating that the price of those cars would go up faster than the market. That was before the Orange One, not sure how far ahead they are at this point, if at all. They originally wanted to invest in a 507 and attended a few auctions, but the prices were way above their price point.

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

^^ Ironic post since I moved the OP from the Z5 thread, where it was clearly off topic. And now we've come full circle with a Z5 post in this thread (which is also off-topic).

So, he knows about the Z5, but is talking about a Z8 successor which is a very different product. In all likelihood, it won't happen for the same reasons a BMW super car won't happen.

Oops! I responded about the Z5 because that is the roadster that is most likely to be made, successor to the Z8 or not. It wasn't until I posted that I noticed that the OP owns a Z4, so I realized too late that he probably knew about the Z5.

So just to really come full circle, what's the latest on the smaller, Z3 successor?

[GOLFFRR]

they already have 100000 models why not throw another one in there

[AKRAPOVICOWNS]

Originally Posted by SCOTT26

Little known fact.

The original follow-up programme to the Z8 eventually morphed in to the BMW i8 and will come full circle with the introduction of the new BMW i8 Roadster.

It didn't go very well then. Lol

[doane2u]

You guys are a treasure chest of knowledge, amazing!
I actually thought the Z8 name had something to do with it being a V8, and it was a turbo diesel, right? If that's true, seems like a strange choice for a sports car?

And yes, I knew about the Z5 and have been following that discussion too.

[SCOTT26]

Originally Posted by AKRAPOVICOWNS

It didn't go very well then. Lol

Actually it went better.

[caraway81]

Well, fingers crossed!

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by SD ///M4

So just to really come full circle, what's the latest on the smaller, Z3 successor?

Dead, just as the two-door UKL MINI vehicles that actually made it to market and failed to make an impact are are.

These are segments which are most likely not coming back - at least not like the glory days from 80s/90s/00s. The "every-man's" sport cars that are left are mostly iconic cars - Miata, Nissan Z, Chevrolet - that have a cult following and remain healthy (though the first two have seen their market shrink drastically over the years as well). BMW moved their Z product up market each generation and never established the long term, repeat buyer those I mention above have. They've got a new "Z5" coming, made plausible as a business case only through the partnership with Toyota, but even that fresh product won't likely reignite sales in a significant way (and I would say the same too for the Supra, most likely).

The era of the SUV has really opened up possibilities - and buyer's eyes - to vehicles that are sporting while still offering some utility. Furthermore, the SUV has also stolen a lot the "status symbol thunder" from sports cars and sporty coupes as well. Yesterdays sports car buyer and, in some part, sports coupe buyer is more apt to purchase either a statement SUV or "four door coupe" in today's market.

The SUV has largely claimed the station wagon form factor in the US - its now about as niche as they come. I could see the same thing happening to two-door vehicles over the next ten to fifteen years. And those with only two seats seem to be the most vulnerable. At the higher end of the spectrum, luxury coupes and sports cars may well thrive due to their intrinsic high-margin business model. But at the lower end, people just don't seem to be interested much anymore. So Z1, Z2, Z3, whatever you might call them - not happening.

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Dead, just as the two-door UKL MINI vehicles that actually made it to market and failed to make an impact are are.

...

You missed my wink . That was me being facetious.