BMW Zagato Roadster debuts at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
BMW and Zagato have revealed the one-off Zagato Roadster at Pebble Beach, following the earlier coupe concept and showcasing a blend of German engineering and Italian design.
BMW and Italian design house Zagato have unveiled the Zagato Roadster at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, just three months after showing the coupe version at Villa d’Este. The Roadster is a one-off concept, built to showcase the collaboration between the two brands and demonstrate what can be achieved when German engineering meets Italian design flair.
Design and engineering details
The Zagato Roadster shares its underpinnings with the BMW Z4 sDrive35iS, but the bodywork is entirely bespoke. The hand-finished aluminium panels feature the same long-bonnet, short-tail proportions as the coupe, with a low, steeply raked windscreen and a rear deck designed for the open-top layout. The front end retains the BMW kidney grille, but with a matte finish and a distinctive ‘Z’ motif integrated into the mesh, a detail unique to the Zagato collaboration.
Other Zagato signatures include the double-bubble rear deck and muscular rear arches, which give the car a more aggressive stance than the standard Z4. The rear lights and diffuser are also unique to this car, and the overall effect is more dramatic than the coupe, with much of the visual weight shifted forward to emphasise the roadster’s profile.
Interior and craftsmanship
Inside, the Roadster features brown leather seats with contrasting stitching and a ‘z’ emblem embroidered into the headrests. The same leather is used for the steering wheel and centre console, again with colour-contrast detailing. While the basic layout is recognisably Z4, the materials and finishing are bespoke, reflecting the car’s status as a one-off showpiece.
Performance and technical highlights
BMW has confirmed that the Roadster uses the same 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engine as the Z4 sDrive35iS. Power output is said to be close to 400hp, although BMW has not released an official figure. The chassis and running gear remain largely standard, but the Roadster’s lighter, hand-built bodywork is expected to give it a slight edge in agility over the production car.
- Matte-finish kidney grille with ‘Z’ mesh
- Double-bubble rear deck
- Unique brown leather interior with ‘z’ embroidery
- 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engine
Context and related models
The Zagato Roadster follows the coupe concept shown earlier in 2012, which itself was rumoured for a limited production run but remained a show car. Both concepts use the Z4 platform as a base, but with entirely new bodywork and interior treatments. The Roadster’s unveiling at Pebble Beach places it among a select group of high-profile one-offs and limited-edition vehicles revealed at the event, such as the Galpin Rocket Speedster and the Mercedes SLS Roadster.
