Uwe Fischer/BMW For almost an entirely uninterrupted 30 years, BMW has offered a two-seater convertible. Here in the States where the Z1 wasn’t a thing, the line began with the Z3, continued into the Z4 lineage, and took a three-year hiatus between the last two generations. But now, Z4 production is well and truly dead with no prospects to return anytime soon, drawing an end to a mainstay in the space. We knew it was coming, but BMW has now confirmed to BMW Blog that G29 Z4 production recently concluded at Magna Steyr’s facility in Austria. With the drop-top 8 Series also winding down—in fact, it may have already, as the timeframe was similar to the Z4’s—the only convertible remaining in BMW’s lineup is the 4 Series. The latest Z4 was offered with a manual toward the end of its life, a six-speed that even converted at least one BMW manual hater. We liked the final generation so much, we called it a “hidden gem.” And that’s kind of how these cars always felt within the automaker’s lineup. The evolution of the BMW Z3 and Z4. BMW Two-seat convertibles are, of course, niche vehicles, and they’ve become even less common since the days of the Z3, but BMW’s offerings always seemed to float under the radar. BMW’s Z series always leaned more toward sport-luxury than pure performance. Though there were some M variants, most Z3s and Z4s were based on all-around driving joy with a little more comfort than you might expect in a Miata, but more canyon-carving pretense than you’d expect from a Mercedes. These roadsters were a somewhat discerning choice. They weren’t always the apples-to-apples best, and they certainly weren’t cheap, but they had a unique personality. Sales even piped up over the last few months, when the Final Edition Z4 emerged, and it became clear that this was truly it. Should Toyota bring the Supra back for another generation, as the rumors have suggested it will, it’s clear that it won’t happen with BMW’s assistance. The G29 Z4 has died without a replacement waiting in the wings, but hopefully, its death won’t prove permanent.
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