First debuting in 1998 and remaining in production for five years, the BMW Z3 M Coupe is a now highly-sought-after version of the Z car with a svelte sub-2,800lb curb weight, a 155-mph top speed, insanely nimble handling, and the 321-hp straight-six from BMW Motorsport’s E36 M3 (before gaining the E46 M3’s updated six-cylinder mill in 2001). In total, less than 6,300 “clown shoe” specimens were built — a fact that, when coupled with the M-spec Z3’s performance, has lead clean Z3 M Coupe examples to routinely fetch well over $40,000 when trading hands. And while the model hasn’t seen the light of production for over two decades now, BMW is now paying homage to the mighty Z3 M Coupe with a modern clown shoe-inspired one-off known as the Z3 M Coupe — though it may not remain a one-off for long.
Christened the Concept Touring Coupé, this ultra-elegant two-seat tourer was just publicly unveiled at this year’s ongoing Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Just like the Z3 M Coupe is to the regular Z3 or the early ‘70s era 2000tii Touring is to the standard BMW 2002, the Concept Touring Coupé is essentially a hard-topped, shooting-brake version of the existing third-gen (G29) Z4 Roadster. Compared to the normal Z4 drop-top, the concept gains a hard top that culminates in a muscular, squared-off rear end that creates an aerodynamic shape while also providing markedly more storage space than the roadster Z4. BMW has also whipped up a bespoke set of travel luggage for the one-of-one grand tourer.
Meticulously crafted by Italian leather workshop Poltrona Frau for BMW, the interior of the Z4 has also been heavily revised and is now of the fully bespoke variety, complete with plush leather-upholstered race-inspired seats with visible hand-worked stitching. Riding on unique 20-spoke radial-design alloy wheels (measuring 20” up front and 20” in the rear), the exterior of the car also sports BMW’s signature kidney grille setup. Gold exhaust tips, wheel finish, and other accents of the same color also contrast the one-off concept’s custom gray-green paint job.
While BMW has yet to confirm these suspicions, there are rumors currently swirling that the Bavarian brand may reportedly put the Concept Touring Coupé into limited production, with a 50-unit run that will reportedly carry a price tag of around $250,000 a-pop.
