BMW is using the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to present its new take on the Z4 roadster. Many hope that this car is close to resembling the production version that will debut in 2018.

“The BMW Concept Z4 in an all-out driving machine,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “Stripping the car back to the bare essentials allows the driver to experience all the ingredients of motoring pleasure with supreme directness. This is total freedom on four wheels. The BMW Concept Z4 expresses the new BMW design language from all perspectives and in all details. From the dynamic-looking front to the striking flanks to the clean-cut tail end: a few lines and the subtle interplay between surfaces are enough to generate a sense of power and emotion.”

The BMW Concept Z4 adopts classical roadster design cues including a long wheelbase, a low-slung stretched silhouette and a compact rear end. The car is wrapped it in a fresh, confident package. A shorter hood and crisp overhangs ensure that the driver sits closer to the centre of the car than in previous BMW roadsters. This gives the new proportions a focused, sporty and agile look and feel. The outline of the car follows a distinct wedge shape. The large domes stretching rearwards from the cabin integrate the function of rollover bars and provide a very sporty look to the low-to-the-road silhouette at the rear.

The sculpted shark nose at the front end creates dramatic surface contouring that extends the full length of the car. The surfaces and forms create an extremely modern and emotionally engaging look. The large Air Breathers behind the front wheels act as the source of the flanks’ elaborately modelled surfaces. They appear to be shaped by the flow of air as it exits the Air Breathers. The low door sills, with their distinctive crease, makes the body appear closer to the road, emphasising the low-slung sensation when looking at the car from the side.

The expressive Energetic Orange frozen exterior paint finish showcases the contrasts of light and shade in the surfacing, accentuating the three-dimensionality of the exterior. And the 20-inch light-alloy wheels in a sporty bi-colour double-spoke design provide harmonious finishing touches to the styling of the flanks.

Pricing, performance and engine availability have not been released yet but it is anticipated that the car will be available with either a 4 or 6 cylinder engine. A hybrid model could follow. The 2016 Z4 was offered with a 2.0-liter turbo inline 4 cylinder engine with 240 hp or a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline 6 cylinder engine generating up to 335 hp.

The design of the BMW Concept Z4’s front end, with its low-set, broad kidney grille and the positioning of the headlights higher up, is reminiscent of the BMW Z8. In place of the customary bars, the inside of the kidney grille features elaborately designed mesh, whose vertical orientation recalls the sporty, functional kidney design of early BMW roadsters such as the BMW 328 Mille Miglia. In a departure from the BMW norm, the Concept Z4 provides a vertical interpretation of the classical four-eyed headlight look, with two overlapping tubes on each side. The turn signal indicators point diagonally towards the kidneys from above and underline the dynamic flair of the front end. And the clamshell hood with stylised gill vents curves over the wheels, creating an intriguing and virtually seamless sweep over the front end as a whole.

The wide and low design of the rear end of the car picks up the lines of the car’s flanks. The powerfully flared wheel arches give the car broad haunches, which are emphasised by the slim, L-shaped rear lights. Above the rear lights, the trunk lid, which has a prominent spoiler, stretches across to the wheel arch extensions. Below, large air outlets in the rear apron create a dynamic impression. The carbon-fibre diffuser adds to its overall aggressive look.

The interior serves to reinforce the total focus on the driving experience. The driver’s seat as well as the door trim panels, instrument panel and centre stack that encircle the driver are finished entirely in black and they stand out prominently from the coordinated orange shades of the exterior and the rest of the interior. Together they form a clearly defined area that wraps around the driver like a capsule, producing a very sporty sensation. This creates a pure-of-purpose driving environment with a pronounced “cone of vision”, where the steering wheel as well as the surrounding black surfaces appear to be surging forward and, in so doing, accentuate the cabin’s powerful driver focus.

The instrument cluster and central information display form a high-quality cluster of screens that are integrated into the driver’s cockpit to flawless ergonomic effect. The two displays are now positioned at almost the same height and in close proximity to one another, which gives the impression of a single, cohesive unit. They work together to deliver the right information at the right time. The driver can choose which elements they wish to call up (via touch command) from the content available in the information display – route guidance, playlists or other infotainment features. Above the instrument cluster, the Head-Up Display presents the key driving information within the driver’s direct field of view.

Emerging from the driver’s side of the cabin is a sporty instrument panel. The clear wraparound design from the doors to the instrument panel enhances the sporty, cocooned feeling in both seats. In keeping with the focus on the essentials, all the controls are grouped into “function islands”. Nothing distracts from the driving experience. Trim elements inside the cabin are also minimalist in nature. Carbon-fibre door sill finishers and embossed asymmetrical logos in the seats and instrument panel highlight the interior’s sporting profile.