The BMW Z4 is nearly dead. We all knew this was coming, what with its Toyota GR Supra sibling being available in a Final Edition model, but being prepared doesn’t really make losing a sports car sting much less. The only question I had was how BMW would commemorate the end of its current roadster, and boy, did everyone get this wrong or what?
Right off the bat, there will be no 2026 BMW Z4 M. Obviously, homologating such a low-volume S58-powered car would be uneconomical. There’s also no limited-run model of that stunning Z4-based Concept Touring Coupe shooting brake concept we saw several years ago at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Nope, instead BMW’s taking a rather dour approach, and that just doesn’t quite sit right.
The 2026 BMW Z4 M40i Final Edition gets matte black paint, a black interior with red stitching, red brake calipers, and that’s about it. The only choice on the $78,675 Z4 Final Edition will be whether you want an automatic transmission or a manual. It all feels particularly anticlimactic, especially when you consider the history of the Z4 nameplate.
When the first Z4 launched for the 2003 model year, it had big shoes to fill. Not only did its Z3 predecessor benefit from being James Bond’s ride, it was a classically proportioned roadster with broad haunches and clean styling. Penned by Anders Warming, the Z4 had the difficult task of making BMW’s then-new design direction appeal to a segment of traditionalists. Sure, some of the details were a bit fussy, but it mostly worked. The interior, with its big slab of trim and unique steering wheel, really worked, and a full lineup of powertrains was available.
Depending on the market, you could get the early first-generation Z4 with a two-liter four-cylinder engine, a 2.2-liter straight-six, a 2.5-liter straight-six, or a three-liter straight-six. Power output ranged from 148 to 228 horsepower, and that’s before it got a real kick in the trousers for the facelift. Not only did a new brace of inline-sixes up the power of standard models to as much as 260 horsepower, but a Z4 M came online with the 330-horsepower 3.2-liter straight-six from the E46 BMW M3 and hydraulic power steering. The result was epic, a truly enthralling driver’s car with huge drama and performance. Those who know generally regard the Z4 M Coupe as the best BMW from the golden era of M. High praise.
Things would change dramatically for 2009 with the second-generation Z4. Curb weight ballooned by around 200 pounds to 3,241 pounds for the naturally aspirated straight-six variant, but for a good reason. Instead of having to choose between the security of a metal roof and the joy of the open air, BMW went with a retractable hardtop to give owners both. No matter, the second-generation Z4 was still lighter than the equivalent 3 Series, and thanks to styling penned by Juliane Blasi, one of the best-looking BMWs of all time. The proportions, the surfacing, the details, it’s all excellent. There was no M variant of the second-generation Z4, but a 335-horsepower twin-turbocharged sDrive35is model wasn’t a bad compromise.
Sadly, by the mid-2010s, the market had turned on roadsters. While the second-generation Z4 came onto the scene strong, selling more than 20,000 units a year, that eventually plummeted into five-digit territory. It didn’t make sense to develop a two-seat convertible alone anymore, so the Z4 nameplate went dormant. But not for long.
Enter Toyota. The largest carmaker in the world. It wanted to revive the Supra nameplate but came to a similar conclusion that going it alone wouldn’t work out. Especially if the Supra were to offer a potent gasoline-powered straight-six, an engine Toyota didn’t make at the time. One partnership and two years after we last saw a Z4, it was time to meet the Z4 and GR Supra twins. Initially, the Z4 outsold the GR Supra due to a longer effective 2019 selling year, but we’re still talking low volume. A softer chassis tune than the GR Supra probably didn’t help, nor did being automatic-only.
Then, in early 2024 for the 2025 model year, a parts-bin miracle happened. See, the Z4’s Toyota GR Supra platform-mate gained a manual transmission for 2023, so with a version of that six-speed gearbox, revised suspension, a recalibrated differential, and double-staggered wheels, the Z4 Handschalter was born. To date, this 382-horsepower roadster is the last three-pedal BMW sold in America that isn’t a full-fat WBS-VIN M-Car, and it’s exactly what everyone wanted.
We’re talking about a classic formula: Straight-six up front; row-your-own gearbox in the middle; drive to the back. Unsurprisingly, this new drivetrain option had an effect on sales. When the calendar flipped to 2025, the Z4 had logged 2,129 sales in 2024. Not an enormous number, but still a 13.1 percent increase over 2023. By the third quarter of 2025, sales were up another nine percent year-over-year. True, the Z4 still a niche product, but so is the XM SUV. And the Z4 outsold the XM on raw volume by 31.28 percent.
However, even that wasn’t enough to save the Z4. From February to April 2026, the Final Edition will be the only Z4 produced. It’s dressed for its own funeral, but isn’t a sports car supposed to celebrate life? BMW has so many great colors in its back catalog, from the blurple of Velvet Blue to the pop of Atacama Yellow to the richness of Imola Red – surely it wouldn’t have been absolutely impossible to bring a handful of those over.
A sports car should be about joy, and there are better ways to spark joy than slathering one in matte black paint. Other colors will still be available for a few months, but once February rolls around, BMW’s draining the rainbow from the fields. When did we forget how to have fun? Anyway, godspeed Z4. The sports car beacon will shine a little less brightly without its presence.
Top graphic image: BMW
I think matte paint looks pretty good on cars but I would never even consider owning a car with matte paint.
I hate matte paint. That alone would be disqualifying for me.
Have the E89 2.5 manual.
Great car and soo beautiful.
Z4 M Coupe is like my bucket list car!
The hardtop of these is such a nice looking car.