May 2026 Car of the Month provided by Shaun Bellinger, in Shaun's own words:
"As a bit of a background story, I have long been a fan of the 6 cylinder engined BMW Roadster models having previously owned a 2001 Z3 2.2 5spd manual followed by my first Z4 which was a 2004 2.5 SE 5spd manual which I had for 5 years.
Purchased in May 2022, my current Z4 which is the featured car this month is a 2.5i Sport 6spd manual.
Finished in Sapphire Black with Black leather sports seats, the specification includes M Sport suspension, heated seats, air conditioning, rear parking sensors and style 108 18" split rim alloys which are a staggered set up with wider rears. Current mileage is just over 60,000.
It is a post 2006 MY facelift LCi model and is actually quite a late example of the E85 being first registered in January 2008.
The first generation Z4 Roadster (E85) was designed by the Danish BMW designer Anders Warming. The Z4 was manufactured in North America at the BMW facility in Greer, Show Carolina.
Initially launched in Europe at the 2002 Paris Motor Show as a replacement for the outgoing Z3 with European sales beginning in March 2003.
Compared with its Z3 predecessor, the Z4 is larger and has a stiffer chassis. As per the Z3, the front suspension is a Macpherson strut design. The rear suspension uses a multi-link design, instead of the semi-trailing design used by the Z3.
The Z4 used lightweight materials to offset the increased weight over the smaller Z3, such as an aluminum bonnet and suspension components along with a magnesium roof frame.
As mentioned earlier, I am a big fan of the 6 cylinder BMW engine and in 6 speed manual form the Z4 is the perfect package for me.
The styling has certainly aged well, not bad given that it has launched 23 years ago.
Current prices are all over the place but good low mileage examples with desirable spec are fast becoming a modern classic.
My advice ... get one while they are still affordable !!"
