Whilst it may not mean a whole lot to the lay man, the Mille Miglia road race is certainly very important to BMW. For BMW, 70 years ago they achieved what they consider to be their greatest motorsport triumph on four wheels with their victory at the 1940 Mille Miglia race. Now all these years later BMW are celebrating this historic victory with a special edition Z4, the limited production run Z4 sDrive 35is Mille Miglia. The 2010 re-creation of this race took place last week in Italy, so naturally this Z4 special was launched there as well.

But then we already knew how history conscious BMW is, as history seems to permeate so many current day business decisions, whether they make sense or not. One only has to look at the motorcycle division to see this, how long have they ploughed forward with their boxer engines despite their pound for pound inefficiency. Their first true superbike, the S1000RR is only in its second WSBK season after all, and driven by a chain no less. Then there is the ridiculous naming methods found on performance orientated 1 Series cars. BMW will never call a 1 Series an M1, purely because historically the M1 is the grandfather of the M Series, and they’d never tarnish that historical image.

On to the Z4 special itself though, although it does seem that any special elements of the Z4 Mille Miglia are purely aesthetic and not engineering based. The Z4 special then is still powered by BMW’s famed twin turbo 3.0L straight six motor producing 340HP, although there is an M sports aerodynamics aero pack bolted on so performance should be somewhat improved over a standard Z4.

The aesthetic changes obviously start with a healthy smattering of ‘Mille Miglia’ badges scattered around the vehicle, in common with any special addition vehicle really. A Polaris metallic matte paint job hugs the shapely body of the Mille, along with an apparently more purposeful blacked out kidney grill. Finishing off with some equally purposeful 19 inch dark chrome 10 spoke alloys makes for a very aggressive package.

Sadly, it seems that BMW could only find it in their heart to make 99 Mille’s, and in left hand drive as well, so don’t expect to see too many in a BMW dealership near you any time soon. One last note, the victory at Mille Miglia that BMW is so proud of was achieved with a 328 Kamm Coupe, surely then any commemorative special edition should have been a 3 Series? I guess BMW already have a ‘special’ M3 on the way though in the form of the M3 GTS, and besides, we rather like the Z4 here at Drive so aren’t complaining.

Take a standard sDrive35i, make the 7-speed DCT gearbox and M Sports suspension standard and modify the magnificent straight-six engine to develop 250 kW and 450Nm, with the ability to increase to 500Nm by means of an overboost function and you get the BMW Z4 sDrive35is, the new flagship model in the Z4 range.

The BMW Z4 sDrive35is will make its world debut at the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, and parallel to the market launch of this high-performance roadster, will be the M Sports Package made available for all derivatives of the Z4 roadster.

Gorgeous new Z4s in SA

Ever since BMW introduced its first roadster prototype in 1934, driving (fast, preferably) with the wind in your hair has been a special experience that lasted in memory long after the actual event. In Europe there are autobahns and Alpine passes that make such driving experiences even more exhilarating, of course, but we are equally blessed with fantastic driving roads regardless of where in sunny SA you may find yourself.

BMW South Africa chose the Western Cape for the national launch of the latest Z4 roadster, incorporating a selection of driving situations into the route so as to best demonstrate the new Z4’s capabilities. Designed by an all-female team, the new car is instantly recognizable as a Z4 but remarkably arresting to the eye, new lines and design improvements coming to the fore as the light plays with its sculpted lines.

It may be more refined, but it’s also significantly more masculine and cohesive, traces of 6-series evident especially at the rear.

BMW’s roadster heritage is stamped all over the exterior design, with the long bonnet and -wheelbase still there and driver seating just in front of the rear axle. But Juliane Blasi took the madness of Chris Bangle’s flame surfacing and softened it, sculpting the body into a masterpiece that’s bipolar at best. The fusing of elegance and aggression brings a new modernity to the inherent sportiness of the original design, accentuating the muscular nose, flared wheel arches and taut back end.

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