BMW.SG | BMW Singapore Owners Community The Ultimate BMW Community – Established Since 2001
The BMW Z4 has bowed out, yet it refuses to go quietly. Say hello to the Bovensiepen Spider. This strictly limited roadster is the send-off the two-seater always deserved. It comes from Bovensiepen, the young marque founded by the family behind famed BMW tuner Alpina.
Only 99 will ever be built. That rarity alone sets it apart. It is the firm’s third model, following a 603bhp Zagato coupe based on the BMW M4 and a 789bhp 05 GT estate spun from the M5 Touring. Bovensiepen clearly likes to aim high.
Under the long bonnet sits the familiar 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six. In the old Z4 M40i it made 335bhp. Here it has been reworked to 429bhp and 580Nm of torque. A reprofiled intake feeds it more air. A bespoke sports exhaust hands it a deeper voice. The upshot is 0-62 mph in 4.2 seconds and a 183mph top speed with the Performance Package. That makes it the quickest Z4 yet.
The chassis has been sharpened to suit. Forged 20-inch wheels with ten slim double spokes trim the weight. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres put the grunt down. The dampers have been retuned around the stickier rubber. One quirk lingers, though. There is no manual, so every car leans on the ZF eight-speed automatic.
Design chief Frank Stephenson, of McLaren P1 fame, shaped the fresh bodywork. A twin-lip splitter, a bold ducktail spoiler and a rear diffuser tighten the stance. Inside, full-grain leather and Alcantara lift the cabin. Buyers can choose from five launch colours or commission a shade of their own. Deliveries begin early next year, in good time for summer.
