2008 BMW Z4 3.0 Si Sport Coupe

And killing off the coupé is where BMW got it wrong, we reckon, because the closed roof version of the Z4 is by far the best looking variant. This one is a Sport spec, meaning firmer, lower suspension and a better interior than the SE version.

This one was fully specced by the original owner and comes with a generous specification, including the 'comfort pack', electric memory sports seats, climate control air conditioning, automatic wipers, and an M-Sport multi-function leather steering wheel. The six-speed manual gearbox makes this a proper sports car - particularly when the 'sport' button is pressed.

The car has covered just 54,000 miles from new and is finished in Grey Metallic with a full black nappa leather interior.

Looking at the Z4 from a side profile view, it’s easy to appreciate the lines, creases and curves. They flow together on this coupé and together make a compelling profile – a bit modern day E Type Jag meets BMW. It’s a striking design and has aged superbly.

It’s an old school recipe – long bonnet, short tail and squat stance that makes it look like a firework just waiting for you to light the blue touch paper and set it off. But despite the age of the concept, the Z4 updates it brilliantly. And under that long bonnet the 3-litre engine is set well back in the chassis, helping the coupé retain BMW’s trademark 50:50 weight distribution, for sweet handling with instant steering turn-in.

The grey metallic paintwork is in excellent condition and even on the low, sleek nose we failed to find any defects. The alloy wheels are also in very good shape. We spotted some very slight crazing on small areas of the lacquer on a couple of the rims, but it’s very minor and you have to really get up close to see it.

All the lenses look great, the mirrors are undamaged and the shutlines are all even and straight. Overall, the Z4 looks like just what it is – a well looked after BMW with just 54,000 miles on the clock.

The usual wear to the driver’s seat bolsters is in evidence here, but it looks as though a recolouring kit and some hide food would improve the looks of the seat considerably. There are no tears or splits, just wear to the top leather layer.

There are also some very light marks to the leather on the door, near the driver’s interior door handle. Again, these could easily be removed with a recolouring kit. These are the only faults we could spot. On to the good points, of which there are many.

You sit low in the Z4 and it fits snugly around you and cradles you in place. The short throw gearstick sits on the transmission tunnel just like a proper car – none of that flappy paddle nonsense in here. There are six speeds to play with too, which means you can easily keep the sonorous and silky smooth BMW straight six on song, although with three litres at your disposal, is you’re feeling lazy you can rely on the immense torque and let the engine do the work.

The small M-Sport steering wheel is in fine shape and the power steering is speed sensitive, so at parking speeds one finger wheel twirling is possible, while on the road the steering gives much more feel and feedback.

The deeply-hooded speedo and rev counter give a fighter plane feel to the dash, and you actually get a temperature gauge too, something other BMWs of this era decided to do without, for some bizarre reason.

Under the slippery looking bonnet the 3-litre straight six looks snug and purposeful, with six inlet tracts snaking away to a common plenum. It’s an award winning powerplant and the straight six configuration is inherently perfectly balanced, unlike, say, a four-pot or a V8.

It revs eagerly and rewards the enthusiastic driver with instant throttle response and a screaming exhaust note when you push it. But back off, take it easy and cruise along and it will hit mid-thirties mpg with no problem.

The engine bay is very tidy with no unsightly corrosion or faults that we spotted, and all plastic covers and panels in place. The car’s underside revealed no surprises when we had a look. All the undertrays appear to be in place and, apart from some surface corrosion on the steel and alloy suspension components, everything looks very tidy.

The BMW comes with a full service history, all its original handbooks, two sets of keys and a collection of old MoT certificates. The car’s current MoT runs all the way until January next year. The documentation that comes with the car is pictured in the gallery below.

This Z4 was first registered on May 16th 2008, and there are three previous owners listed. It has just been serviced, so should be in fine fettle.

This Z4 might well be the sweet spot for BMW sports cars. It’s fast and engaging, while still capable of reasonable mileage costs and easy servicing. It has a sweet six speed gearbox operated by, of all things, a gearstick, so for the old school enthusiast it’s a traditional driver’s car. And on top of all this it’s beautifully built and finished. We think it will sell for £10,000-£15,000 - an extremely capable car for the money.

Plus, any BMW sports car will almost certainly eventually rise in value. Okay, that may be a little way off for a 2008 car, but if you’re in for the long term you might even view this Z4 coupé as an investment. After all, what would you replace it with that would be better?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.