Z4: Alpine Clarity

White, the combination of the full visible spectrum of colors. This single achromatic color with such a high brightness has different significance to different cultures and people. For example, in both the French and Russian Revolutions, white symbolized royalism, but over in India, white also stands for Peace and Purity.

Such is the diversity in opinions as well when we’re faced with the Z4. When the car was unveiled to the public, it’s complex mix of lines, shapes and curves was the cause of much critism as well as praise. Such was the effect “Flame Surfacing” had on people. It was still a relatively new and radical approach to car design at the time and not everyone took to it at first glance.

To quote BMW, “Flame Surfacing gives body surfaces the freedom to turn in on themselves, lending a high degree of visual tension… a controlled tension whose energy pervades the entire visual image without in any way diminishing the vehicle’s overall harmony…”

To everyone else, all that was just a bunch of gibberish and what they saw at the time, was a huge and bulky 7series and now, this radical new roadster to replace the retro-chic Z3s. BMW took a step forward to take on a whole new design philopshy with their new range of cars, a step which paid off only years after the first cars rolled out. All those strange cut-lines and concave surfaces has somehow, now, begun to look pretty good.

The Z4 has been around with us for a short while now, with the impending local introduction of the Z4 Coupe’s as well, and with the number of roadsters roaming our streets, the sense of occasion and wonder we used to get when we see one of these cars is no longer there. Or am i to be proven wrong?

Enter this stunning example of a Z4. The one thing that strikes you hard is the color, or rather the total lack of any shade or hue of color. Finishing the car in Alpine white is simple divine. The lines of this roadster show more evidently and with more intensity. A two-piece rear spoiler design gives a car a more aggressive appearance without appearing too over-the-top. A long powerful bonnet with a squat, ready-to-pounce stance coupled with the blacked-out kidney grills shows this car means business.

To keep this Ultimate Driving Roadster going on the straight and narrows as well as the short and twisties, it has employed the help of various ‘enhancements’. A full set of KW Var 2 Coilovers hooked up to a set of 18inch OZ Ultralegerras on a staggered layout with Toyo T1Rs all round. Adjustments to the front camber angle can be fine-tuned with the KMAC adjustable front camber kit and a 3 point Ultra Strut Bar from Alutec completes the handling package for now.

Immense stopping power comes from a full setup of Stoptech brakes. ST40 4-pot brakes with PFC01 Race pads / Axxis Ultimate Street pads brings the front end to a halt and Stoptech slotted rotors with customized 4-line brake lines and race pads reign the back in.

The keep the engine breathing well, healthy and to give it a much stronger set of vocal chords, a set of customized headers from the boys over at BVO workshop running thru to a customized sports catalytic converter and exiting through a straight-through muffler design were installed. 90mm Racing Dynamics tailpipe tips give the car much more visual flair.

Lowering the soft-top using the remote-key via the Reinhold e-module reveals the stunning and striking interior. Three-tone leather, with the colors black, red and touches of carbon-fibre adorn the cabin occupant’s seats. Z4 Stiching appears prominently on the seats and red stitching was used throughout the cabin. AC Schnitzer floor mats and safety belt pads enhance what is already a beautifully thought out interior. We continue with the red theme as we open up the long poweful bonnet to reveal a custom painted engine bar. Splashes of High temperature Imola Red paint were liberally applied to various parts of the engine compartment.

Though there may be quite a number of Z4s on the road nowadays, this example is one of the most beautiful and stunning. It goes to show that choosing the right color combnation really does go a long way in carving out a car’s identity. Like it or loath it, the BMW Z4 is here to stay, and to ‘Flame Surface’ it’s way into the automotive design heritage. For now, let’s just savour the purity that is, this brilliantly kept, Alpine White Z4.

BMW’s present definition of Purity in form and function. With the purest color chosen to represent this car, I’d rather call it “Alpine Clarity”

Photography: [email protected]