Where better to experience the 395bhp, 354lb ft Audi five’s dramatic crescendo?
44 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 3 1 JULY 2019
t was always going to
happen, wasn’t it? Even
in the middle of July, no
more than a fortnight
after temperatures
around the UK soared into the mid-
30s, it would seem that gathering
a triumvirate of convertible sports
cars together in North Wales is still
too much like tempting fate. Or the
weather gods. Or any other abstract
concept you’d usually curse and swear
at while shaking your fist at the sky,
wondering why oh why, on today of all
days, did it have to rain. How typical.
But anyway, the new BMW Z4
M40i is one of the latest examples
of the breed to touch down on
our shores. Previous iterations
of Munich’s two-door drop-top
haven’t always been praised for
being standout driver’s cars, but
BMW seems confident this third-
generation model is the one to
rewrite that history for the better.
A Nürburgring lap time reportedly
some three seconds quicker than that
of its M2 stable-mate is certainly an
encouraging sign. So too is the fact
that the Toyota Supra – the BMW’s
brother from another mother –
emerged victorious when we pitted
it against the Porsche Cayman T and
BMW M2 a few weeks back.
With all that in mind, the
temptation to gather together a
handful of ideologically aligned
adversaries and head for the hills
proved too strong to resist. Which is
exactly why our test subjects – made
up of said Z4, a Porsche 718 Boxster
T and an Audi TT RS Roadster – are
now moored in a windswept, soggy
car park on the side of the B4391,
completely saturated.
But sitting here, watching snapper
Olg u n K ord a l f i sh a r ou nd i n h i s
bag for the correct lens as the fine,
mist-like rain continues to drive
home t he f a c t t h at one of u s shou ld
have checked the weather forecast,
isn’t without its perks. From this
vantage point, you can appreciate just
how motley this crew of convertibles
really is, and soak in the diversity of
the drop-top landscape in 2019.
Of the three cars here, the BMW is
closest to the archetypal convertible
sports car. Its long, muscular bonnet
houses a longitudinal 3.0-litre
I
turbocharged straight six, which
sends its 335bhp and 369lb ft straight
to the rear wheels via an eight-speed
ZF torque-converter automatic ’box
and an electronic slippy diff. Adaptive
M Sport suspension drops its ride
he i g ht b y 10 m m c ompa r e d w it h t he
standard Z4, and also throws in
electronically controlled dampers.And unlike its predecessor, there’s a
folding canvas roof instead of a metal
one, which helps reduce weight, lower
the car’s centre of gravity and – in my
mind at least – lend it a bit more in
the way of authenticity. That said, at
1535kg, it’s still the heaviest car here.
The Boxster, meanwhile, forges
a different path. It is mid-engined,
for starters, and its 295bhp 2.0-litre
f lat four does seem a bit weedy by
comparison. But in T guise, this is
supposed to be the sharpest, most
focused version of the 718 Boxster
breed (Weissach-fettled Spyder
Box ste r : 20 i n a l l oys , sh o d i n P Ze r o t y r es
Z4: 19in alloys, Michelin Pilot Super Sports
TT RS: 20in alloys and Pirelli P Zero rubber
Boxster is the best
driver’s car, but Z4
has all-round appeal
`
Compared with the
other two, the Audi is
a bit of an oddball
a