Friday 25th May 2012

PH Blog: product placement

Why racing cars still sell road cars and Dan now likes the BMW Z4 more than before

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A week after visiting the Nurburgring 24-hour for the first time and the sights, sensations and smells (mainly stale Bitburger and barbecued meat in the latter case, admittedly) are still with me.

But one of the most abiding is quite how effectively GT cars keep the old race on Sunday, sell on Monday adage alive. And how I've been suckered in.

The practice is, literally, as old as the car itself of course. Demonstrating a car's race worthiness is a proven marketing technique and one that, as a cynical hack, I'd expect not to be vulnerable to. But on the commute home the other night I found myself following a white Z4 in an adjacent lane on the M25. Now, I've driven Z4s. And they're all right. But I've never really felt much more than that about them. But the angle I had on this car more or less matched that of the photo above. And, in my commuting torpor, the two became interchangeable. Z4 suddenly much more desirable shocker!

Adding a race-tuned V8 does help a bit

I've been wittering on about how cool the Z4 GT3s looked from the moment I first saw them at the 'ring. Even to some slightly annoyed-looking Audi folk the other day. Previously unaware the car even existed, I thought it just looked so damned mean at standstill and then 50 times more so at speed. And there I was, a few days later, looking at the standard road car version and getting all Homer Simpson 'mmmm, beer' about it. Sucker.

Just goes to show though, it bloody works. The sight and sound of bellowing Merc SLSes on the Nordschleife rubbing door handles with Audi R8s at 120mph, a Z4 GT3 just ahead and a couple of 911s nibbling at their rear wings, has lost none of its potency as a marketing tool. Of those cars, only the Porsche has ever really made good on transferring this into road going equivalents, the R8 GT we drove this week more of a marketing exercise, but still a reasonable attempt at tapping into the LMS Ultra's track cred.

 

And though Aston Martin, McLaren, Nissan and others were also in the race (or out of it in McLaren's case, sadly) the overarching impression you get from attending the race is of the utter domination of the German brands, from the cars to the professionalism of the teams and the resources poured into them. It's an awesome display. And as powerful a message to potential customers as it ever has been.

Would I buy a Z4 as a result? Not sure I would. But I'm definitely more generously disposed than I was a week ago.

Dan

Pics by Frozenspeed

[toppstuff]

It does make you realise that a more hardcore Z4 with a big fat V8 would be a seriously desirable thing.

Make it BMW. Please make it.

Throw off the girly shackles and make a manly, noisy, hardcore Z4.

[EDLT]

How can "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday" work if you still don't want to buy a Z4?

[JLJ11]

i know next to nothing but it doesnt seem too big a stretch to squeeze an m3 engine in there, flare the arches, add an m3 esque exhaust and stick a few vents on the hood. I guess i dont know how good the car currently is dynamically and whether it would hold up to the extra ooomph or if the car would need a whole new suspension/brakes etc.. it always just looks way easier from the outside.

[Justices]

I don't want a Z4. I want THAT Z4! Christ it looks fantastic! Why can't they build it? They could even use their favourite "limited edition" tag and have it mean something.

[mmm-five]

It was a 'race' Z4 that finally pushed me into changing from an e34 M5 into something more modern...a Z4MC.

This was the car that settled it for me...


...which one the 2007 Britcar 24hr at Silverstone where I was marshalling.

[M Powered]

"..utter domination of the German brands.."

along with a couple of plucky Brits

[LaurasOtherHalf]

JLJ11 said:

i know next to nothing but it doesnt seem too big a stretch to squeeze an m3 engine in

it is unfortunatly, it just won't fit

I echo that at a VLN race earlier this year the new z4 simply sounded superb & went up in my estimation because of it sounded as good as the astons & glickenhous' mad Ferrari p4/5 thingamy

[JuniorJet]

I love the Z4 so much... I bought one!

Z4M Roadster

[Doodles19]

Porsche 997 GT3 Cup in Kremer livery for me! Thanks.

[bass2rez]

BMW should stop faffing about and make a roadgoing proper M Powered Z4 and call it the M4.

[BeirutTaxi]

Is there a desktop wallpaper sized pic of this?



It's AWESOME!

Edited to add: AWESOME AWESOME AND AWESOME!

[Luca Brasi]

Best sounding GT3 by a mile imo.

[tommy vercetti]

That second picture is so ace

[timothymcdavid]

I have come out of my lurking cave to say that second picture needs to be the POTW cause it is too stretched out as is on my other machine.

[TheRoadWarrior]

I think most any petrolhead would buy a Z4 if it sounded like these GT3 racers.. Gotta be one of the best sounding motors, which is saying something in the company of the Porsche flat six race engines

[Yachtworker]

timothymcdavid said:

I have come out of my lurking cave to say that second picture needs to be the POTW cause it is too stretched out as is on my other machine.

7.5 years of watching and you are dead right!

[goron59]

I generally find BMW cars boring (to look at, to listen to the fanbois, etc) but I do like the Z4 and would consider one if BMW put more effort into it.

[thewheelman]

Weird, i found the BMW the least interesting of all the cars on track. And i don't know anyone that's bought a road car based on the results of a race car that has very little in common.

[thewheelman]

.....although, this BMW Zagato Coupe could tempt me.......


more here http://www.topspeed.com/cars/bmw/2012-bmw-zagato-c...

Edited by thewheelman on Saturday 26th May 14:36

[Transmitter Man]

You want a V8, but a Z8.

Although too expensive IMO.

Phil