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| 2012 BMW Zagato Roadster Review |
2012 BMW Zagato Roadster Review, Price, Interior, Exterior, Engine - The 2012 Concorso dEleganza Villa dEste will once again host a spectacular world premiere and, in so doing, build on its tradition as a gathering of the industrys leading coachbuilders. The premiere in question will see the time honoured Milanese coachbuilder Zagato team up with BMW to unveil the result of a unique collaboration: the BMW Zagato Coupé.
Zagato has worked in close collaboration to create an exciting and emotionally charged coupé in the finest tradition of automotive workmanship. The BMW Zagato Coupé embodies the unbridled fascination of cars and fuses the design DNA of the two companies into a fresh and desinctive whole. This one off model is the product of many hours of skilled hand-craftsmanship and breathes new life into the tradition of coachbuilding.
It is hard to think of a better occasion for the premiere than the Concorso dEleganza Villa dEste, one of the most exclusive events in the world of classic cars and motorcycles. The vehicles shown on the banks of Lake Como are hand picked, the number of entrants limited and the surroundings simply without comparison. The Concorso began as a get together of coachbuilders presenting one off hand built creations, and the BMW Zagato Coupé follows very much in that tradition.
We weren’t about to assume what this new concept would be, but we easily made out the image of a BMW roadster, which lead us to think it could be a roadster version of the Zagato Coupe we saw a few months ago. Well, we were right about it being a roadster version of the BMW Zagato, but what we weren’t expecting was for the new Roadster to carry many characteristics that were all its own. This isn’t just a drop-top version of the Zagato Coupe, this is a whole new level of awesomeness mixed with the superb styling characteristics of BMW and Zagato.
The interior also gets a makeover, coming with colors and materials that match the look of the exterior. Brown leather, embroidered “Z” lettering and brushed aluminum can be found all around. No performance figures have been mentioned, though given the fact the car is based on the Z4 sDrive35is we suspect a peak output of at least 335 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque (369 with the overboost function), courtesy of a turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six engine. In the regular sDrive35is this is good for a 0-60 mph time of just 4.7 seconds and electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph.
Could we see a limited edition production version?... BMW is tight lipped on the matter, though given the design’s popularity, not to mention the success of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato born from the partnership between the British marque and the Italian design firm, we could very well see versions of the Zagato Coupe and the latest Zagato Roadster sold to the public. It would be a great shame if we didn’t.
Never underestimate what at an automaker can accomplish with a little determination. We spotted the BMW Zagato Roadster sulking on the lawn at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours dElegance among the various other concept cars on display in front of the lodge. Built in just six weeks, BMW executed the roadster as an encore to the delectable Zagato Coupe, and the two share plenty of hand-hammered aluminum body panels. There are a few notable differences, however. The roadster boasts a completely unique hindquarters befitting a soft top. We arent entirely smitten with the blacked out tail lamp treatment, though the angular exhaust, flowing haunches and sculpted rear deck are straight winners in our book. Source: neocarsuv.com, autocarrelease.com.
