BMW Z4 FINAL EDITION – THE LAST ROADSTER STANDING BOWS OUT LIKE A BOSS
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when a cult-classic roadster walks up to the curtain call in a tailored tux and aviators, here it is: the BMW Z4 Final Edition. After more than two decades of top-down shenanigans, three generations of long-bonnet/short-deck swagger, and one of the prettiest straight-six soundtracks in the game, BMW is officially retiring the Z4 in March 2026. And they’re doing it the right way - with a spec that’s part celebration, part farewell tour, and part “this one’s gonna be worth money one day.” But let’s rewind for a second. The Z4 story kicked off in 2002 when BMW followed up the much-loved Z3 with the sharper, more hardcore E85 Z4 - a machine born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, sporting the classic roadster silhouette with newfound rigidity that embarrassed everything else in the segment. Toss in the 50/50 weight balance, the low-slung seating position, and the howling 252 kW S54-powered Z4 M Roadster, and you had a proper driver’s car. Then came 2008 and the E89 generation - the glam era - where BMW dropped the fabric roof for a fancy two-piece aluminium hardtop that folded itself away in just 20 seconds. It was the first Z4 to get iDrive, the first to blend coupe comfort with roadster drama, and the first to show BMW wasn’t scared to try something bold.
The current Z4 - the G29 - arrived in 2018 at the Pebble Beach Concours, and BMW pulled it back to its purist roots: fabric roof, compact proportions, focused cockpit, big power. The M40i brought the magic: a 3.0-litre M TwinPower Turbo straight-six, and since 2024, the purist-spec Pure Impulse Edition even let buyers row their own gears again. But all good things meet their final chapter, and this Final Edition is the capstone on the lineage. The Z4 Final Edition is limited, exclusive, and dripping with detail. The headline act is the Frozen Matt Black paint - a colour reserved only for this edition, giving the final Z4 a stealth-fighter presence that makes you wonder if it should come with its own theme music. Every Final Edition includes BMW’s M High-gloss Shadowline trim to sharpen up the edges, and bright High-gloss Red M Sport brakes that peek through the wheels like they’re warning you ahead of time: yes, this thing still knows how to misbehave.
Inside, BMW went full theatre. Red contrast stitching ties together the dash, doors, centre console, and those Vernasca leather/Alcantara M Sport seats - a visual “heartbeat line” that runs right through the cabin. The M Alcantara steering wheel gets the same treatment, and even the door sills are specially engraved so future owners have receipts when bragging at car meets.
In terms of engines, buyers can pick their flavour of petrol-powered nostalgia:
Z4 sDrive20i – 145 kW
Z4 sDrive30i – 190 kW
Z4 M40i – 250 kW straight-six thunder
The Final Edition pack costs €4,200 (about R84k) for models that already include the M Sport package - that’s the 30i and M40i. The entry-level 20i doesn’t get M Sport as standard, so BMW bundles it in at the usual €3,200 cost, making the full Final Edition upgrade €7,400 (roughly R147k). Considering this is quite literally the last chance anyone will ever get to buy a new factory-fresh Z4, the maths starts making emotional sense. This is the end of the line for BMW’s last pure two-seater roadster - a car that arrived just before the world moved on to crossovers and EVs, while the Toyota Supra (built on the same platform, ironically) found way more homes on the street. But rarity breeds desire, and this Final Edition is a special model; it’s the full stop at the end of one of BMW’s coolest stories.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the Auto Moto Vibes crew that shows off the last of the Z4s to be released by BMW - the Final Edition. Maybe they'll retire the nameplate and bring it back in a few years as something electric, maybe a kettle?: New 2026 BMW Z4 M40i Final Edition - FIRST Look! Exterior and Interior | AutoMotoVibes
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