BMW’s roadster model that debuted in 2002 is the BMW Z4. It arrived as the successor to the Z3 and became the third model in BMW’s Z Series of two-seat sports cars.
The first-generation Z4 used the internal codes E85 for the roadster and E86 for the later coupé. BMW introduced the roadster at the 2002 Paris Motor Show, with early versions using six-cylinder engines and rear-wheel drive. Production began in July 2002 at BMW’s Spartanburg plant in South Carolina.
The Z4 name can cause confusion with the Z8 and Z3. The Z8 was a limited-production V8 grand-tourer inspired by the 507, while the Z3 was the earlier BMW roadster made famous by its appearance in the James Bond film GoldenEye. The Z4 replaced the Z3 rather than being a version of it.
BMW added a coupé body style in 2006 and later introduced the high-performance Z4 M. The second-generation E89, launched in 2009, switched to a retractable hardtop before the current-generation roadster returned to a soft-top design.